Of Devils and Meat Pies
by 1silentmouse
Summary: The devil had arrived and I was once again going to pay the price for selling him my soul. There stood the Russian devil that tormented me. Smiling as always, all scarf and long coat, with a dead corpse already laid out for me.
1. Chapter 1

The smell of freshly baked pastries made half of the people in the store come rushing to the display counter. My sweet employees, Chells and Mona, were doing their best to attend them while Matthew and I placed the last of the day's goods on the displays. We would be closing soon and all I wanted to do was to give Mathew the keys to close the shop and rush back home for a good night sleep. Business had been going absurdly well that day and I was exhausted from running up and down attending customers and baking. Even with my adorable little helpers running up and down with me it had not been an easy day at the shop.

"Francis, I need three berry pies and a chocolate cake please" Chells yelled up from the front of the store.

"Will I get a kiss if I bring them over?" I yelled back already picking up the goods.

"Get rid of the beard and I'll consider it." She yelled smiling. I laughed at her antics, but she did kiss me on the cheeks as a thank you none the less.

"Watch out Francis. I'll get jealous." Mona yelled at us smiling her self. I walked up behind her and kissed the top of her head.

"How about I take you on a date someday? Would that help?" She pouted playfully pretending to consider my offer.

"Not fair, I want a date too." Chells yelled back. I laughed whole heartedly.

"There is enough of me for the both of you _me belles_."

"Yea well get all of you back to work Francis. Matthew is drowning in costumers over there." Mona pointed at the poor boy trying to get the costumers to hear him out from behind the counter. So I walked there to help him out.

They were my little family, my precious children, and I loved all of them dearly. Even with all the play flirting I did, I made extra sure to make them all know they were special in my heart. They were the reason I kept going on.

I was just handing some goods to a costumer when my pocket vibrated. I pulled my cellphone out and checked the number calling me. A lump got stuck on my throat when I recognized it. 'Please not today, not now, not him' was all I could think of when finally picking up.

"_Allo?_"

"Ill be coming to the shop today, same time as always. Da?" Shivers went down through my spine and settled in my guts.

"That's fine, Ill see you then." I shut the phone off quickly not wanting to hear anymore of that accursed voice. I felt sudden dizziness, my body went cold and I wanted badly to throw up but held myself.

"Francis, are you ok?" Matthew was suddenly beside me holding me up, I didn't even realize I was using the wall for support.

"_Merci_, just tired I guess." I stud up straight again and walked back to the counter to help Chells and Mona with the last customers. I needed to act normal. My precious assistants couldn't get suspicious or scared. But if anyone discovered what was going happen that night it would mean the death of me.

By the time we closed the shop and my sweet innocent little workers had left for the comforts of their own houses I was dripping in cold sweat and having a hard time standing. I felt terribly sick. I wished very badly to simply go home and forget that cursed phone call. But I had work to be done before the devil arrived to torture me once again.

I automatically walked back to the kitchen to start cleaning and getting things ready. I turned the doe batter back on and heated the oven once again. Settled the trays besides the oven, separated the ingredients that would be needed, just as I did every morning when I arrived at the shop.

But then I went and gathered the hose and the bleacher. The long table was covered and placed to sit beside the floor drain near a corner, and last of all, I walked back to my office to get my instruments from the vault.

Matthew has always believed I kept my documents and my finances locked in that vault for safe precaution, Mona thinks I keep money in there because I don't believe in banks, Chells once asked if I kept a little black book with the name of all the people I have ever slept with in there. My sweet little children, all of them shinning brightly and pure besides me every day at the shop, unaware of what happened inside when it closed.

I opened it and inside stood a fine leathered black case with silver handles. Yet I didn't dare touch it. I left it sitting there where it belonged as I went back and leaned on my chair starring back at the open vault. I stared back at my sins, looked at the horrible monster I had become, I saw the darkness that has been consuming me for years now. The very existence of that case made my skin crawl up and I became repulsed by myself. There stood the case that held a butcher's dream knife collection. All anyone ever needed to butcher, hack, chop, gut and skin. Knives so sharp they sliced flesh like butter and sawed through the bones in minutes. I could even powder bones with some of the things I had in that damned case.

It was the sound coming back from the kitchen that woke me up from my self loathing. The devil had arrived and I was once again going to pay the price for selling him my soul.

As carefully as I could, I took the case out of its prison and cradled it protectively in my arms walking back to the kitchen. And as I walked in, there stood the Russian devil that tormented me. Smiling as always, all scarf and long coat, with a dead corpse already laid out for me on my long table.

"привет Francis. You seem tired." I loathed how the voice coming out of that hell spawned man sounded so sweet and cheerful. How could someone talk so normally with a dead body besides them? But then again, I loathed myself for what I was going to do to it.

I glared at him. "I had a busy day Ivan. And I would like to end this as quickly as possible."

He pouted mockingly. "You're never happy to see me, why can't you greet me with a smile like your customers?"

Without dignifying him with an answer I settled my case an arm's length from the table with the dead body so I wouldn't need to move so much. By the time I opened it and saw my own reflection on the blades my body no longer felt tired and I was suddenly calm. It always sickens me later how calm I get when I'm about to butcher up a body.

Ivan just stood there besides me, smiling like always, watching my every move. That used to scare me at first, but now, not even his creepy smiling got to me. I picked my gutting knife, turned to face the body laid in front of me, and started my work.

The blade entered the body easily, and once you got the blade inside, gutting the corpse and removing its insides was actually quite simple. I already had plenty of experience gutting off unknown bodies, ripping the organs from the body, and feeling the blood cover me.

The smell of the flesh and death, the feeling of the still warm flesh being squished between my fingers as I rotated my blade inside them, the feeling of blood, and all those foul things inside the human body would simply make me sick.

I worked mechanically, chopping off the limbs into smaller pieces. Once in parts, it's easier to think of it as a pig instead of a person. Stab, cut, slash, repeat. It didn't even take long to dismember it and start to remove the flesh from bones. Blood covered me, pooled on the table and dripped on to the floor. But it didn't matter, blood could be washed off. And all I had to think of was the movement of the knife. I would think about the blood and the guts later.

I would never ask about the bodies Ivan brought. He has never answered. I wouldn't even think of them as human bodies anymore when Ivan arrived with them. Back then I would throw up before and after the deed was to be done. Back then I was still human myself. Now these corpses were just animals, and I was just a butcher. That happened after I recognized one of the bodies Ivan had brought to me one night.

The poor Vietnamese girl, I couldn't even remember her name. She had worked at the shop with me, one of my first employees. She went missing one day, and four months later Ivan walks in with her on his shoulders. I cried the entire time I worked my knives on her. I was never able to see these pieces of flesh that I chop and butcher as people after that night.

Ivan's creepy childish voice interrupted my thoughts and movements. "You know, if you really put yourself into it, I bet you could get rid of it in less than an hour."

I looked up from the pieces of flesh that I was chopping into his devilishly amused smile. "Are you in a hurry perhaps?" What was I suppose to do? You didn't get rid of a fully grown men's body in less than an hour. Especially not the way I did it.

Ivan just shrugged. I went back to work separating flesh from bones.

"Dose it bother you?" I cursed my luck. He was in a damned talking mood. That was a first, but I was not interested in talking with the devil that haunted my dreams and made me feel less human after every visit.

"What?" I kept my eyes on the flesh, my knife making steady progress into the meat.

"You know, doing this. Dose it bother you?"

"Ah, you mean to be used as a butcher to cover up the murders of the Russian mob." I made sure to look straight into his eyes and put on my most sarcastic smile. "Oh, I just love it you know. It's a wonder I worked so hard to be an honest baker instead of being a butcher in a pig's farm."

Ivan frowned at me. Guess he noticed the sarcasm. Maybe now he would shut up and let me finish my damned job. It was always dangerous when people asked too many questions. He should know that by now.

"Then why do you do it?" I groaned with frustration. Why had he suddenly decided to play twenty questions with me? For five years, all he had done was stand there and watched me work to make sure the job had been done and occasionally help me, all of them with the minimal of communication possible. Why had the devil suddenly take an interest in me?

"Didn't your boss warn you about asking questions?" I made a show of hacking a large piece of meat from the body to punctuate my sentence. I would never be physically intimidating to a man like him, but maybe being covered in blood and having a butcher knife on my hand would help me shutting him up.

Ivan shrugged and smiled at me again. Guess intimidating him was a lost cause. "It doesn't really matter since he's dead now."

My knife faltered a bit. For a second I felt the urge to stop everything and ask for mercy, to finally be able to fulfill my dream of getting rid of those knifes and to never have to see a dead body again. But the urge died quickly enough. If Ivan still came here, it meant that I was still trapped to their services. I would still be their butcher. At least Ivan got quiet again.

Soon enough I had separated all the flesh from the bones, and all the pieces including the guts were chopped up nicely. The remaining bones were gathered and set on my special grinder to be powdered. I walked to the sink to wash my bloody hands before I started adding ingredients to the doe mix. Once my hands were on the doe I went back into being a baker. Making meat pie had never been a favorite of mine but it had dramatically dropped from my list once I started doing this.

Preparing the doe and seasoning the meat to hide its unnatural origins had been tricky at first but I had already developed a special recipe for it. It was a recipe that was stored into my head and that I would never teach. It was my personal curse reminding me always that even if I got rid of the knives and the nightmares I would still have that little piece of knowledge in my head reminding me of my past sins.

After setting the pies on the oven I turned back to the table, Ivan was already helping cleaning the blood with the hose and the bleacher. The smell of the pies baking would soon over power the smell of the flesh and the blood and the bleacher. And once I got the knives cleaned and safely locked away, I would be able to pretend to be a simple baker once again. But Ivan was still standing in my kitchen by the time I had finished up the cleaning.

"What are you still doing here?" He had never remained for this long before. He shrugged smiling once again.

"Didn't feel like leaving this time." I decided to ignore him as I still had a few hours before I had to open the bakery again and have Mathew, Chells and Mona coming in for work. Even if I didn't have the time to go back home to get myself properly cleaned and rested, I could clean myself enough in the sinks and get some rest taking a nap on my office, plus, I had an extra change of clothes in one of the drawers.

I took the knives' case back to the office and locked it in its vault. But before I managed to turned back from the vault I was pushed and pinned at the wall with my arms raised above my head. I felt a very urgent fear for my life as I struggled to get my hands freed from Ivan's grasps.

"What are you doing? _Lâche moi_ Ivan!" I shouted and tried kicking him. Ivan didn't budge and inch. I felt his breath near the back of my neck and shivered.

"_Nyet_." He whispered. "I want to see more of you." One of his arms wrapped itself on my waist as he pressed himself against me. I was shaking in fear, holding back tears. Things were not supposed to go this way. He wasn't supposed to be there, I wasn't supposed to be there. I felt his lips on my neck and tried very hard not to make any sound as he bit into my neck. But when I felt his hand sliding under my shirt, I wasn't able to hold myself any longer. The tears started falling and I became a crying mess.

As if for a miracle he released me once I started crying. I fell on the ground curling myself up protectively. I was so tired, so weak, so scared. I wanted that devil out of my life for good, I wanted the mob to forget me and I desperately wanted my old life back. Before I had sold my soul, before I had met Ivan, before when all I did was party, flirt and enjoy the beauties of life.

Ivan's hand was suddenly under my chin and he made me look straight into his eyes as he cleaned my tears with his thumb.

"I'll make you a deal. Figure out why I am a mobster, and I will get you out of all this." He paused as he smiled, I knew there was a second part coming. I had already learned that you always had to pay a price when dealing with the devil. There was no way he would get me out of that life without paying the price.

"But if I figure out why you work for them first, I get to keep you for myself."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Why?" It was really all I wanted to know. The devil was offering me a way out, but at the same time, he was setting a trap to keep me there.

"Because I know your sins and you know mine." He released his hand from my chin and stud up. But as he was walking away, he stopped at the door and looked at me once again, smile in place. "That and I have never seen someone looking so good covered in someone else's blood."

He left then. I heard as the kitchen's back door opened and slammed shut. I just stood curled up besides the wall. Too scared to move and realize that the nightmare wasn't really over. I don't know how long I was stuck there. But I smelled the meat pies from the kitchen and something inside me made me move.

I cleaned myself and changed outfits making sure to cover the bite mark Ivan had presented me with. Then I went back to the kitchen and took the pies from the oven. I was taking them to the counter in front of the store when I heard the door unlock and the chiming of a bell as someone walked in.

"_Bonjour_ Francis." Matthew's soft tone was heaven for my scared beating heart.

"_Bonjour_ Matthew." He walked over to help me set the pie trays.

"Did you spend the night doing these meat pies again?" His voice had a bit of concern on them, it felt very comforting.

"_Oui_, perhaps next time I feel restless I should search your bed instead of coming back here and cook. Don't you think?" Matthew grew red in a second.

"D..do-don't say things like that." He fled away while I laughed at his distress. He was such a shy boy. But he had already lifted my spirits a bit.

Mona walked in with Chells following right after. The girls kept asking who was the lucky lady or men that had made me come to work so tired. I kept grinning and laughing at them letting them assume what they wanted, it was better that way.

We opened the store as usual. Mathew and I baked breads and cakes and pies as the girls took care of the costumers walking in. We ran out of special meat pies before noon, and I was glad to have gotten rid of them so fast. Even dead tired as I was, it was a good day. We laughed and played, and I felt human again besides my precious children. But when I was finally back at my house that night, I kept thinking of Ivan, and the deal he had offered. I had already sold my soul to the devil, and there was no way that I would be able to get it back. But if I did agree and win, I would at least be able to get my old life back. I wasn't sure about what to do, but I already knew I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it until Ivan showed up again with a new body for me. Until them, I could hope and dream about my old life all I wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of the shop's bell chiming made me wonder who had arrived that early in the morning. It had to be one of my dear little helpers, because the shop had not yet opened. It was the booming voices that followed that helped me identify my visitors.

"THE HERO HAS ARRIVED!"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP YOU GIT! IT IS TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR THAT!"

I was happily smiling as I walked out of the kitchen to watch Arthur, Alfred, and Matthew walking into the store.

"_Bonjour mes ami._"

"Yo! Morning Franny!" Alfred came over to me to do the weird 'hand-shake-bro-fist' thing that he had spend hours thinking about and spent even more time teaching everyone who let him. The boy insisted on being greeted that way, and I didn't mind amusing him even if the hand shake took an entire minute to perform correctly. I thought it was kind of cute of him.

"Are you both done being idiots? I want to order and get back to work already." Arthur complained as usual. The man had always to be grumpy about something no matter what. He seemed to make a hobby out of it. I couldn't help myself from grinning and starting a little teasing to get him out of his grumpy mood.

"So jealous _mon cher_. Afraid I might steal back your little Alfred here?"

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Arthur's face turned to such an amusing shade of red when I teased him like that. I just wanted to keep pushing his buttons to see just how red he could get. A pity Alfred went straight to his rescue.

He went laughing over to place one of his arms around Arthur's shoulder, making Arthur turn a different shade or red for my amusement. "Don't worry Artie, I'll always be your partner."

"My name is not Artie, it is Arthur you wanker." Arthur squirmed on Alfred's hold but didn't pull the arm off.

"Come on Arthur, you are the best side-kick a hero could ask for and I am never letting you get away from me." He ended such a heart warming sentence with his usual million dollar smile, that sent poor little Arthur beside him to an even deeper shade of red and a sudden shortness of breath and words.

I just couldn't contain myself. "Should I bring some wedding cake samples for you two?" That got Arthur right back on track.

"SHUT UP YOU BLOODY IDIOTS!" He released himself from Alfred's arm red faced and fuming.

"I am not your bloody side-kick, I'm your senior officer and I am in charge. If anything you are the bloody side-kick." He then pointed his finger at my face. "And you frog, I should get you arrested for being a bloody pervert."

"If anything _mon cher_ I should be arrested for being so sexy."

That sent both Alfred and I laughing while Arthur kept on with his usual bickering antics. Alfred laughed for Arthur's little antics, I laughed because Arthur had no idea of how true his statement was. It was the sick twisted feeling in my guts that brought me back. I clapped my hands and prepared myself to do some business.

"_Alor mes ami_, how may I be of service?"

Alfred was quick to answer. "We want two donut boxes, a bag of chocolate croissants, four éclairs and a couple scones for Artie. And Mattie told me you made those special meat pies a couple days ago. Are there any today?"

I felt my guts twisting again. "_Non_. But I have the rest of your order. Just wait a minute while I get them from the kitchen."

I left the both of them bickering among themselves to walk inside my kitchen, Matthew was already dressed in uniform and working. He was such a quiet and shy boy, so different from his brother. No wonder he often complained of being invisible when near Alfred, his older brother just knew how to claim attention.

I gathered up the boxes and bags of goods for Alfred and Arthur, and heard the door's bell chiming followed by the girl's voices greeting them. By the time I was back to the front of the store with their goods in hand, Chells was trying out Arthur's cap while attempting to flirt with him, but from Arthur's face I was guessing she was only succeeding in embarrassing him. Mona on the other hand was making polite conversation with Alfred.

"_Bonjour me belle dames_. Would you girls mind finishing this up. I need to go back and help our dear Matthew with the cakes."

"Not at all Francis. I'm always happy to serve officer Kirkland over here." Chells was grinning wickedly and winked at Arthur who was turning redder by the minute. I would have been jealous of her natural ability to make him blush hadn't I know I could make him blush harder and faster.

"T..tha-that's very kind of you madam." Arthur recovered his cap from her head and tried to hide himself under it. Mona and Alfred were snickering beside him.

I left them just like that and headed back to the kitchen to join Matthew in our baking. Alfred yelled his goodbyes to Matthew as they left and the girls open the shop to business. The girls were already attending customers when Matthew and I came back to place some of the freshly baked goods on the displays.

The morning business went as usual but the store became empty near noon and the girls decided to start talking and gossiping to take away their boredom so they went inside to join Matthew and I in the kitchen.

"So tell me Matt." Chells began while setting a few rolls on a tray. "Do you know if officer Kirkland is seeing anyone?"

Matthew was at the other side of the kitchen near the flour making more doe. "How am I supposed to know Chells? He spends his time patrolling with Alfred. You should ask him that."

Chells pouted displeased. "But you are always riding with them. They even pick you up from work."

"You mean when they remember me. And all they do when I'm in the car with them is bicker and argue."

Mona, who was helping me decorate one of the cakes, spoke up before Chells insisted once again on the issue. "Can I ask why you didn't become a police officer like your brother?"

"Oh yea! You weren't around when Alfred used to work here." Chells exclaimed and quickly started to explain. "Ok, so, basically Alfred always used to say that he was a hero and that his abilities were being wasted here at the bakery, so he joined the police force to actually start fighting crime and go against the bad guys."

"Alfred asked me to join in too to be his side-kick just like when we were kids but I like it here in the store. So I passed." Matthew shrugged and kept working on separating the doe to bake some cookies.

Mona also shrugged. "That's a shame. You would have looked just as good wearing a uniform." Matthew may have been on the other side of the kitchen but I saw the way that compliment had made him blush.

"Oh I know right. Every time I see those uniforms I just keep thinking of just how sexy they look." Chells sighed and placed the tray she was working on near the oven before she placed a new one to start filling. "Don't you think so too Francis."

Once I had also thought that police uniforms were sexy. But now all they did was bringing me fear and making me uncomfortable. The only reason I didn't tremble when seeing Alfred and Arthur wearing them was because I had know them for so long. They were there before the devil had arrived to turn me into the monster I am today.

"I'm not a uniform man myself _ma cherie_, I prefer my partners out of their clothes."

That thru the girls into a giggling fit as Matthew blushed a deeper shade of red from his place near the doe. The sound of the bell from the front door made the girls go back to their post as Matthew and I remained performing our duties in the kitchen.

The rest of the day ran as usual and we worked and flirted and played between ourselves and our regulars. Chells insisted that she had to keep practicing her flirting skills on every man she saw if she ever wanted to snatch a man in uniform for herself. She kept amusing me to no end with her flirting so I just kept indulging her and giving her tips. Mona was too serious for most of our silly flirting games, plus, she already seemed to be going out with some young man and had no need to practice such skill, but kept indulging the both of us none the less. Matthew was the poor victim as always, the way he got embarrassed and squirmed uneasily unknowing how to flirt back or even to counter our flirting just made him the perfect victim for such lovable teasing. Though by the end of the day I decided I would be giving him an entire batch of maple cookies to make up for all the flirty teasing Chells and I were making him go through.

We were about to close the shop when I felt my pocket vibrate. I took out my cellphone to check the number and instantly regretted it. I felt cursed for having to deal with such devil after such a pleasant day with my sweet children. None the less I headed to my office, away from prying ears and eyes, and picked up the call with a dreading feeling in my guts.

"_Allo_?"

"привет Francis, I was very sad when you didn't call me regarding our little bet. I assume you still recall it, Da."

The way he spoke sent chills down my spine and I had to sit myself down from fear of my knees failing me. That awfully tempting bet had never left my mind but everything inside me was warning me against it, there was just no way I could be freed that simple. And there was also what would happen if I lost, that was what most likely would happen when dealing with the devil. The terrifying memory of him pinning me to the wall and biting my neck just flashed before me and I shivered, I knew exactly how he wanted to own me.

"I remember."

"Good, and have you thought about it?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat before talking again. "How do I know if it will be a fair bet? For all I know you're playing with me for kicks."

He tisked over the phone and I instantly regretted questioning him instead of turning him straight down. "So distrustful Francis. I can't guarantee that it will always be fair play, but I guarantee you have the chance to win and that I will keep my part of the bargain if you do."

That hadn't comforted me, it just made me more distrustful. I just knew that there was something there, something I just couldn't see yet but that would surely doom me in the end. But the temptation of being released from those cursed sleepless nights of butchering corpses while those cold violet eyes watched me was just greater then my sense of danger. I spoke before I had processed the words in my head. "I accept."

"Good. Now, I would suggest you to ask that lovely blonde boy of yours to make sure your two sweet girls get home safely and close the shop, because you're coming with me tonight."

I was wide eyed frozen solid on my chair as the phone went dead and I processed what he had said. Next thing I know I was bolting up and running to the front of the store not knowing what to expect but knowing that I needed to get Matthew and the girls out of there and somewhere safe as fast as possible. I slammed the door open and almost crashed into the display counter. But when I was about to yell at them to run Ivan was already inside the store, smiling sweetly and pretending to look at the cakes on display and I felt like I had just sentenced all my beloved ones to death.

Ivan's devilishly sweet voice and smile was all I could hear and see. "Francis, it's so good to see you. I expect I'm not taking you from anything important coming so suddenly."

My mind was blank, I had forgotten to move, to speak, to breath. The only rational thought I had was that I needed to get that hell spawn thing away from my children as fast as possible. And yet I was unable to willingly move out of pure fear. It was with great effort that I managed to whisper Matthew's name.

"Yes Francis?" Matthew was beside me in instant, warily exchanging glances between Ivan and myself. He looked concerned about something and I just really hoped in that moment that neither he nor I would end up doing something stupid and condemn the others. I did my best to not let my hands tremble as I reached out for the shop's keys, and made sure I would seem to be acting normally and smiling as always when turning to face him.

"Matthew, please lock everything up and make sure the girls get home safely ok. I'll see you in the morning."

I placed the keys inside his hands and couldn't help myself giving it a reassuring squeeze. And as quickly as I could, I walked out of the store with the devil following right behind me.

I just walked ahead without thinking, listening to him following me. I had never expected something like that happening. My damned stupidity had just put the lives of my beloved in danger. Was Ivan going to harm then now? Had he already know of them? How could I have been so stupid? Was there a way to keep them safe from his hands? If I assumed my crimes and accepted to rot in prison for ever would Arthur and Alfred agree to keep them safe? What will happen to them if they discover everything? Was Ivan going to tell? Would they hate me when they figure it out? If I died or disappeared would that keep them safe? Would they be safe if I killed him?

My mind kept rambling about the possibilities at the same time as it kept reminding me that it was my entire fault and that I should have never bee that stupid to take a second deal from a devil. And I was so busy blaming and loathing myself that I didn't even realize that Ivan had grabbed my arm and was guiding me somewhere. It was only much later, when I noticed movement and the loud voices of people walking beside us that I had realized it.

"Where are we going?" I got scared. All of a sudden I was very aware of people seeing me walking besides Ivan.

"There seems to be a bar up ahead. I figured we could go there to have a little chat. Da" He looked way too happy to me. That creepy smile of his somehow just looked that much scarier and walking besides him made me realize just how bigger and stronger he was compared to me. That unnerving feeling in my guts just grew bigger and I was almost expecting him to throw me in an ally and stab me to death. Only I knew he wasn't going to do that. He must have seen I was scared.

"Don't worry Francis, I wont do anything you don't want me too." He opened the bar's door and motioned for me to get in. I did, and he followed after me.


	3. Chapter 3

The bar was decent looking and I was also relieved to see it had a decent amount of people in it. We went ahead and sat ourselves at a table over at the darker side of the room. A waitress came up, the devil ordered vodka for himself and I asked for a glass of wine. We kept an odd silence between us until the drinks arrived. I sipped some of my wine to calm the knots of my stomach and took a deep breath.

"Why are we here Ivan?"

He looked at me oddly, like it was obvious to everyone else but me. "Do you want to go some place else?"

"_Non_, it's not that." I groaned with frustration. "You know what I mean. Why are we meeting in public? Why did you drag me out of the bakery like that?"

Ivan shrugged. "We made a bet. I figured meeting outside our usual 'work' would be easier on you then playing twenty questions while I loomed over you like usual. I know you feel distressed enough when I am around."

I snorted. "So you picked up on that." As mad as it sounded, it actually made a bit of sense. So his plan was to get me into a false sense of security and drunken enough to loosen my tongue. Well, that devil had it coming, I wasn't going to fall for that.

"And what guaranties do you have that I'll talk with the likes of you?" I sipped more wine for courage, I was going to need a lot a nerves to keep this farce going on long enough to figure out how to get the information I needed.

"You are talking now aren't you?" He was smiling way too amused for my taste.

"I need to get you talking too don't I?" I smirked myself, the wine was making me bolder. The game was on.

The devil finished off his vodka in one gulp and requested the waitress for another one and to keep both our drinks coming. But he kept staring at me, smiling as he had already won. That was unnerving me enough to drink more myself.

"So comrade, how should we begin?"

"How about you tell me why you're a mobster?" He was going to turn the question down anyway, but I decided that being blunt was going to be the best course in dealing with him for now. I did not want to give him the impression that I would be enjoying this game of ours. The sooner this farce ended the better. And who knows, maybe he would get drunk before me and end up answering it after all. But he just looked at me displeased.

"You disappoint me Francis, it is too early for those kind of questions. Perhaps if you ask nicely, next time I will tell you something." He looked at me with those harsh cold violet eyes, making me feel like he was searching for something deep into my black soul. I drank more just to keep me from shaking. "_Nyet_, I want to start with you. Where do you live?"

I was taken with such surprise by the simplicity of that question that I almost blurted out 'down town' but I caught myself in time. "The suburbs." He was not going to get a single honest answer from me for any of his random questions. He squinted his eyes and his smile twitched, as if he sensed the lie but did nothing but take another sip from his vodka.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty nine." Another lie, I'm actually thirty four but I still look remarkably young and most people buy that answer. That smile of his twitched again. He didn't seem to believe it.

"Any siblings?"

"Single child." Another lie, I had a younger sister, Marianne. But she was far away from here, someplace safe with a life and a husband of her own. We had barely spoken to each other since she married years ago. The devil squinted his eyes again and his smile twitched. He was making me very uncomfortable with all that twitching and suspicion. He also seemed very displeased with that answer for some reason.

"How long have you owned that bakery?"

I wanted to lie, but I knew I couldn't. The mob had known that information before they pursued me. He was sure to known if I lied. "I bought it eight years ago." His face didn't twitch this time and he seemed pleased with the answer. I knew something was wrong then.

"How about your favorite book?"

I took a deep gulp from my wine and sat back on my seat, trying to get myself as far away from him as possible. "What I read or don't read dose not concern you. You already got a fair amount of questions and answers. I want a few answers myself."

"Fair enough. Ask your questions then." The way he smiled was frightening me.

"Why the sudden interest in me?" Honestly, I could have gone with a better question, but that one still bugged the hell out of me. That devil sipped more of his vodka before answering me.

"It wasn't sudden at all. We have known each other for five years. Da. I'll admit thought that I have only become interested in you in this sort of way during the last couple of years."

A felt chills running down my spine. That thing had been watching me for years? It was one thing if this happened to be a whim of his out of boredom, but knowing he had actually taken interest in me while I did my best to ignore him for years before he actually decided to make this entire mess was just something else entirely. My confidence of winning this bet was shot straight down. He had years to have searched for my background, years to have asked around the reason why I had accepted working as the mobs body disposer, he had years and I had nothing. I chugged the rest of the wine I had and took another glass that was already set on the table for me.

"My turn again? Do you have any pets?" That devilishly sweet childish voice of his had such an enthusiasm on it that it twisted my guts. He had obviously looked at my information and background, this was just part of his game to see if I would be honest with my answers. It would even explain why he had seemed to have seen thru my lies. Or the fear and the booze where simply making me paranoid.

"None." That was another lie, I owned a pet dove called Pierre. His smile twitched. I was sure now. He knew more about me then he admitted. Yet he also let that one slip unmentioned.

"My turn. What are you trying to accomplish with this?" That hell spawn thing had to be scheming something if he was playing like this. Maybe he just wanted to give me some hope so he could be the one to take it away and watch me suffer. Being a sadist seemed to be a norm among the mob anyway. Crushing my hopes to break me before forcing himself on me might just be the sort of kick he wanted.

"All I wanted was for the both of us to relax and have a simple, honest conversation. There is no harm in that is there?" That smile of his was utterly terrifying, and yet it was pissing me off more then scaring me.

"What's the point in asking what you already know then? It seems a bit redundant to me."

"And what makes you think I already knew any of that?"

"Because your stupid creepy smile kept twitching every time you knew I lied you damn Russian."_ Merde_ I really should stop drinking right about now. There is a limit between being bold and being life threatening stupid and I might have passed it. If I didn't control my mouth I was going to be in a lot of pain. But the damned devil simply looked absolutely pleased with me for some reason and he even giggled. I was sure that giggle would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"There are not a lot of people that dare speak to me like that Francis. Are you usually such and angry drunk?"

"_Non_, I'm usually more the flirting kind. Guess you just bring out that side of me." I was drunk. I had to be drunk or I really had a death wish. How had I become that drunk? I didn't remember drinking that much. How many glasses had it been? Three? Four? "How much did I drink?"

"I counted six glasses for yourself. You were sipping your wine non stop since we sat down." Oh the way his eyes were sparkling with amusement just gave me shudders. He was going to be the death of me, most likely by his own hands.

"Why do are you doing this?" My voice was hoarse, barely audible. "Do you enjoy making people fear you? Making people suffer?"

For the first time that night and for all the years I have known that devil in human flesh, his smile felt sad. Even if it had been just a glimpse, even if I had imagined it, even if I was just drunk enough to start seeing things that were not there, I had seen it, and somewhere deep inside of me I felt pity for him.

"If you wish me to admit the truth you must be honest yourself Francis. Tell me one thing that is true about you and perhaps I will answer you."

I sipped more of my wine. What did I dare tell him that was true? Should I be honest? Did it really matter to me to know the reason behind the first glimpse of human emotion I had seen from him? Would he know if I lied again?

"You scare me." That was as far as I dared. He probably knew it already, but at least it was something true. I half wished that by finally admitting out loud what I had known all along, somehow I would become less scared. It didn't happen, but he seemed pleased none the less.

"I suspected as much." He drank some more. That smile of his just seemed that less creepy and that more sad. "It is not like I intentionally want others to fear me Francis. I just never learned how to make them not fear me."

I was stumped. I didn't really know if he had been honest or not but I just couldn't seem to figure out what to do with such answer.

"Even your friends fear you?" What was I doing? I had to be drunk to pity him. I refused to feel sympathy for that hell spawned ash blonde violet eyed devil. It was just a trick, a way to get me to talk.

He shrugged. "I don't have what you would call a friend. All my colleagues have a healthy fear of me so they don't freely approach me. Even the ones that I work closest with are reluctant to speak more than the necessary."

I was reluctant to believe him. Yet it was too believable for I felt the same way. That feeling of pity just refused to leave me.

"Isn't that lonely? To have no one close to you?" Damn me and my drunken state. I can't believe I actually pitied him.

"I have my sisters. I love both of them well enough, but my eldest sister wasn't made for the cruelty of my world, and my youngest always brings me more trouble then I ask for when she visits. So we tend not to see each other as much as we wished."

He had a family? I had to take a moment for myself to rationalize that yes even he would have parents and maybe a sibling or two. For so long I had simply assumed that he was a hell spawned devil summoned to be my personal nightmare that I forgot that he actually had to come from somewhere beyond my kitchen door. But I wasn't very sure if I should believe it or not. He seemed to be speaking honestly enough but he had no reason to do so.

"Why would you tell me all of this?" It felt too surreal to start thinking of him as another human being and not the devil. Perhaps that was how he wanted to make me open up to him so he could win the bet. It seemed to me I drank enough to start believing everything he said.

"You asked. My sister always told me that to get others to be honest with you, you had to be honest yourself. So I am being honest now so that you will be honest with me."

I had to take a deep breath and have a big gulp of my wine to swallow my emotions back inside. Anger, fear, pity, confusion, shame, everything was just swirling around my head and I didn't know how to react. I think for the first time I was being forced to face the fact that the man seated in front of me was not the devil I had always pictured him to be, but just a man, a possibly cruel, monstrous man, which haunted my dreams and forced me to do horrible things, but still a man none the less. A man that in his twisted sense of logic was somehow trying to force himself on me with a bet for reasons I still did not understand.

I kept quiet, staring at my wine cradled in my hands. I didn't want to keep this farce up and end up seeing that devil as the man he was. It was safer for me to keep thinking of him as something evil, to be able to blame him for all the monstrous things I had been forced to do. I didn't want to feel anything for him other than hate and resent.

"Are you out of questions for now?" He was leaned forwards, his head resting on his hand as the other one held his vodka. Even with the table between us he felt very near, and that's when I noticed I had somehow slumped over the table and that he was indeed much closer to me that I wanted to and the fear rushed back to me. What was I doing? I was letting that devil in human flesh manipulate me. I was just another puppet dancing in his hands and he was soon going to crush me.

"If you are out of questions I guess it is my turn again. Da? Tell me, what do you …?"

Before he even managed to finish the question a very familiar loud booming voice called out my name interrupting him and I felt cold stones setting on my guts.

"Francis! Dude, what a coincidence to find you here." Alfred took a chair and sat besides me, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders. "Arthur is going to flip knowing you are here." He laughed and placed his officer's cap above the table with the badge proudly displayed to the monster sitting right in front of me. I was frozen solid, afraid to even breathe.

"Arthur! Over here old man!" Alfred yelled and waved the arm that was not wrapped around me, Arthur was walking towards our table with his permanent frown. I was never more aware that both of them were wearing their police uniforms.

By the time Arthur pulled out a chair and sat at my other side I was dripping in cold sweat and just about ready to pass out. This could get messy very quickly, and chances were that everything would go to hell any second now.

"Yo Franny, aren't you gonna introduce us to your friend?" Alfred might have been too busy smiling a little too smugly at the monster to notice how I panicked but Arthur sure picked up on it because I felt his hand patting my back softly trying to calm me. The devil also noticed it and took matter to his hands.

"There is no need for that as I am taking my leave. Until next time Francis." He sat up leaving a few bills to cover his tab and left the bar. When he was finally out the door and out of sight I practically collapsed over the table. My heart was beating so fast it was likely to burst out of my chest.

Alfred and Arthur were understanding enough to let me catch my breath and calm down before questioning me.

"So, who is the bloody creep? Did you manage to get yourself a stalker frog?" Arthur's foul mood had never been more comforting to my senses. But I still had to treat this carefully or else I was likely to finish digging my own grave.

"_Non mon cher_, he just happens to give out that impression. But I do have to wonder as to why you two are here?"

"Well, Matt called me in a panic saying that you were kidnapped by some huge guy in a scarf, so being the hero that I am I came to rescue you." Alfred boasted proudly. "According to him, you were ghost white and trembling the second you saw him."

Matthew was definitely the sweetest, most caring person I knew. Yet I just felt the urge to snap his neck. His stupid phone call could have just worsened my already very delicate situation. Now the devil knew I had relations with the police and the next time I saw him I might just end up dead. And even if I did survive the next encounter with the devil, now the police knew about my relation with him, if any enquiry showed up, I just might get myself sent to prison for life. I could just feel the way my life was crumbling, slipping away from my hands.

"Are you sure he isn't trouble frog? You seemed bloody scared enough of him, when we got here."

"You don't have to worry _mon cher_, he doesn't mean to be like that, it's just, I just don't really know how to deal with him." That was true enough if whatever he had told me earlier was true, I just wanted Arthur to drop the issue and go home.

"You mean that you actually know that creep? Bloody hell frog, he is a stalker isn't he? You bloody slept with him and now he is asking why you didn't return his calls. Is that it? Have you no dignity? Have you no standards?"

"In Franny's defense Artie, I'd over look his over all creepiness with an ass like that." Both Arthur and I turned facing Alfred.

"What? He dose have a nice ass."

Arthur started scolding the both of us, Alfred made silly jokes and teased, and I just laughed hysterically. I prayed that they may remain as oblivious as they are now.


	4. Chapter 4

It was two days before I heard from the devil again. I had received a phone call near closing hour informing me of his coming at the end of the day. So when closing hour arrived and I finally sent my cute little employees safely to their own homes, I locked everything and went back to the kitchen to arrange it for his arrival.

I wasn't sure what to expect from him tonight. After his meeting with Alfred and Arthur at the bar, I was very well inclined to believe he would be coming to end my own life. Mobsters simply didn't make friends with police officers, even the ones that were bought off or corrupt. It was just as much bad business as asking for trouble. And here was I, a member of the mob with two honest officers as close friends. Even I knew it had been a bad idea to keep relations with them. But I just couldn't bear to part with them, to end that part of my former life, even if it meant my eventual arrest or death.

When the kitchen had been cleaned, the ingredients taken out and the oven was heating up, I headed back to the office to collect my case. For some reason, that night I was compelled to look at the knives when I opened the vault. Perhaps it was the feeling of my end being near, or perhaps it was the monster inside me taking over. But that sick desire to relish in them was under my skin.

So I sat on my chair and carefully placed each knife in front of me above my desk. Soon I was displaying all of my morbid collection, every single knife so clean that I saw my own reflection on them and yet every single one of them had been used. I had acquired all of those knives thru several means, most happened to be legally, others not so much. I had been shocking how easy one could buy such things. No one ever asked questions as to why you were buying them. I wondered what would take a person to need a hatchet big enough to chop a leg off at a normal home.

I picked up one of my smaller knives. It was one that was used to slice the meat apart. It was a beautiful knife, strong, well balanced, and absurdly sharp. And as I was looking at my own reflection on that blade, I wondered if it would even hurt if I used that beautiful blade to slash my wrists and end this miserable business. Maybe that was the way out for me. Maybe it was the only way to kill the monster growing inside me.

It was not the first time I considered suicide, making a note confessing my dark sins and simply ending this horrible nightmare that had become my secret life. But then I would always think of my innocent children. My sweet Chells, her beautiful tanned skin framed by her long dark ponytails and her red ribbons, smiling everyday and asking for love advice, dreaming of one day settling down with someone and starting a family. Of my beloved little lady Mona, always elegant with her blonde hair in a braid and her glasses perched up her little nose, the way she is always so proper and respectful, and how she claims to be undefeated in poker with such conviction I always believe her. And my adorable Matthew, his pale skin contrasting marvelously with his cherry blond hair, and those glasses framing his sweet violet eyes just perfectly, the way he is always having a hard time expressing himself unless it involved hockey.

They were the reason I still looked forward to the following day. They deserved better, they deserved something more then the realization that I was a monster that had lied and tricked them. They deserved to remain ignorant, to be safe, to have happy lives away from me and my secrets. What would happen to them when I was gone and everything was out?

Anger rose over me and I slammed the knife back to the case and started throwing the rest of them inside it. If I survived this night, I was finding a way out of this life. I was going to arrange a way for my children to remain safe. Send them someplace else, away from me, away from those horrible nightmares, away from that devil, someplace where they could live happily and blissfully ignorant.

The sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps announced the arrival of my unwelcome guest. I was about to discover if it was my blood that would be above the table tonight. So I picked up my cursed case and headed to the kitchen. The devil was beside the long table and the corpse was spread out for me.

"привет Francis." I shivered with the sound of his voice. But it seemed that I would survive another night.

"Ivan." I hastily passed him and started arranging things to begin the butchering. With the corpse rid of its garments I quickly plunged my knife inside it to start the gutting. The familiar feeling of the blood covering my hands combined with the putrid smell of death for once wasn't making me sick. The twisting feeling of my own guts was because I could feel the devil's gaze directed at me. I wanted to end this as fast as possible.

"So, cops?" I nearly lost control of the knife I was handling and cut myself. That devil had to stop scaring me like that. I was bound to get killed by a heart attack if he didn't.

"They don't know." It was just about what I could say. If I started talking about them I could end up getting them killed. They already had more trouble then they were aware of. Better to say little then say too much.

"I realized as much. They seemed too overly protective of you to know about our little arrangements. But you do understand that I now need to know who they are to keep an eye on them don't you Francis." It was an order. His tone made it clear that if I even tried to lie he would know and there would be consequences.

"Alfred F. Jones and Arthur Kirkland." I kept my eyes down on my work. Skinning the body in front of me and suddenly praying that I wouldn't be seeing Arthur's and Alfred's body laid out for me in such manner. I would have to figure out a way to warn them about the danger later.

It was quite then. The devil returned to his silent observation of my movements as I went around the table working the knives on the flesh. It was in the moment when he was standing right behind me that I heard that chilling voice of his once more.

"Is that boy of yours related to that cop in any way?"

I froze. "Why?" What was he asking? They did look alike but was it that obvious? Did he want to harm Matthew? Was he going to use him to get to Alfred if something happened?

"You're aware of how we use family kidnapping da? I'm just thinking ahead."

I have no idea what passed thru my head at that moment but I just snapped. The next thing I know was that I had a blade at the edge of Ivan's chin and neck and I was growling threats at him. "If you dare touch my Matthew I'll be making meat pies out of you next _diable infernale_."

It took a second, but the moment I realized my stupidity I quickly withdrew the blade from him and got back to work on the corpse. He remained unmoving and I had no idea of just how big a mistake I probably had done. That man could kill me with his bare hands, he most likely had already killed more people than I could imagine and with a single word from him I could very well go rot in jail.

Whatever his thought about my treat were he kept them quiet. For the next few minutes, I just worked silently on the pieces of flesh I was separating, afraid to even glimpse at him. And when the silence continued to stretch I felt myself relaxing a bit and letting the mechanical movements of my blades calm my anxieties. But the devil decided that he was not keeping quiet for long.

"You're doing it for a friend aren't you?" I had my second heart attack of the night.

"What do you mean?" My hands were shaking. Was he playing with me? How had he guessed something like that? Did he already know? Had I lost?

"You joined the mob to protect someone. Da?" That tone of voice of his was scarring me. He wasn't questioning it, he was affirming it.

"You never seemed to mind when you are the one being threatened, but the mere thought of me near to your protégé gets you so scarred that you foolishly try to threaten me." Now he was being smug about it. I heard his footsteps as he walked closer to me. He was standing behind me once again and I felt chills running thru my body.

I kept my eyes on the pieces of meat I was hacking off. It was a bait, had to be, he couldn't have guessed that from my threat. He just wanted me to confirm it or deny it so he could be closer to winning that damn awful bet. So I kept working, ignoring that awful feeling I had when he was that close to me.

And then I heard it, the sound of keys hitting a lock and people mumbling. The blood just flowed right out of me. What time was it? It had been just a few hours that I had closed the shop. Who was trying to get in? What was I suppose to do? Anyone that entered that kitchen would know right away that something was wrong, they would clearly know what I was doing. Should I run ahead and try to stop them? No, I was covered in blood. I was doomed.

The chiming of the bell and the sound of two voices becoming louder just confirmed me dread. It was the end. After five years of this secret nightmare, everything was going to be revealed and it would be the end of everything I knew. The entire world would learn of the monster that I had become.

Something grabbed my arm and turned me around. Next thing I know was that my bloody shirt had been torn away from my body, something had been thrown to cover the table and I was being roughly shoved over it. I yelped as my legs were grabbed and lifted up to be wrapped around the devil's waist and his hands pinned my own above me. "Follow my lead." Was the only answer I got for his actions as he plunged his lips into mine and I felt his bare chest against my own.

The voices were close enough for me to recognize them now, but the feeling of having Ivan pressing himself over me like that, and the knowledge and feeling of the butchered corpse under me had me squirming and trying to escape like a mad man. In my mad attempt to escape I opened my mouth to scream only to have Ivan throw his tongue into my mouth to deepen the kiss and pin me harder. And then I felt his hips move. Whatever sounds I made from the panic were drowned out by the sudden screeching coming from the door as it was opened.

"HOLY FUCK! MY EYES!"

"OH MY GOD IS THAT…"

Even not being able to see them from my current position I could still clearly imagine Matthew and Alfred's shocked expressions. The moment I heard them, all the panic I had felt then was quickly locked away deep inside me. My head finally made sense of Ivan's actions and I realized I had to act this out accordingly if I wanted to get them to leave before they realized something was wrong. A deep moan came from my throat and I returned Ivan's actions, moving my own hips against his. Realizing I was finally cooperating, Ivan released his lips from mine to move his head lower and attack my neck. I did quite a show moaning loudly, moving and arching up to him. Ivan was releasing a few moans of his own.

The sounds coming from the door were now rushed footsteps and someone bumping into one of the counters before the kitchen door was roughly closed.

Aside from their rushed footsteps, "DUDE I AM NEVER EATING HERE AGAIN!" was the last thing I heard Alfred say before the front door was slammed and locked once again.

Both Ivan and I stopped our act to listen. And as the seconds passed and it didn't seem like Matthew and Alfred were coming back I had the urge of releasing myself from the devil's grasp.

"_Lâche moi_." I yelled and squirmed trying to get him to release me. The panic from earlier was rushing back into my system. He first seemed reluctant to do so but he did and I quickly fell off the table and crouched on the floor besides it covering myself with my bare arms immediately. I couldn't breath, I felt sick, a nauseous feeling was swirling around my stomach and I could taste the vomit on my mouth. I just felt horrible disgusted for some reason and my heart wouldn't stop pounding inside my chest. Something cold started to rub itself on my back and I realized it was actually Ivan's hand.

"Easy now, breath. Just breath, it's over now, breath." Somehow Ivan's voice was actually helping and I just forced myself to breath. As the air started to flow back to my lungs the nausea and the panic eased. I managed to gather up some strength to try and stand. I grabbed the edge of the table to support myself. Looking down I realized Ivan had throw his coat and shirt to cover the corpse. My own shirt was thrown on the floor.

"_Mon Dieu_, what were they doing here." It had been the first time someone had almost found out my sins. The idea of my Matthew seeing me as some kind of monster nearly crushed my heart.

"Your boy seemed to have forgotten a bag. That was what a managed to see anyway." Ivan was collecting his clothes from the corpse and throwing them on the floor next to my shirt.

"You're not getting dressed?" I took the moment to actually look at him now. He was somehow still wearing that scarf of his, his shoulder and arms were naturally thick and strong along with the rest of his upper body. For my surprise his chest had barely any hair and he actually did have a bit of a budge on his stomach. But what really caught my attention were the scars. He was covered with them, arms, shoulders, chest, stomach, I could even see some of them going into his back and hips. It was like he had wrestled with bears in the wild or he had somehow survived some kind of medieval torture. Scars over scars, so visible I think I actually flinched at them.

"I'm not a pretty site am I Francis?" That same sad smile and tone I had hallucinated at the bar before was back. And along with it the feelings of pity that I had suppressed came rushing back.

"I don't wish to wear bloody clothes, and I don't think you actually have something my size at your office, so for tonight, I think I'll just have to accept staying like this." He shrugged and went over to stand at his usual spot.

And that was the end of it. Realizing I would still have to finish my morbid work, with shaky hands I grabbed the knives once again to continue it with Ivan's watchful gaze over me. I silently worked on separating limbs from body and meat from bones, not even minding the cold air on my bare chest and arms.

We were back doing our old routine. As I prepared the meat for the pies, Ivan helped clean the blood from the table and floor. All in a welcomed but awkward silence, when I finally placed the pies on the oven, I heard him leaving just as he did before. There was no mentioning of the bet, no warning about my threat or my friendship with Arthur and Alfred, no talk about almost being discovered, nothing.

I cleaned my knives and locked them back into the vault, cleaned myself as well as I could and picked another outfit from the spares I had. Setting an alarm to go off when the pies were to be ready I sat down and finally closed my eyes to get some rest.

There was too much going thru my mind that night to manage a restful sleep. There was Alfred and Arthur's safety worrying me, along with Mathew, Chells and Mona's own, and then there was Ivan. Ivan kept coming again and again in my thoughts, the devil that had always ruled my nightmares, the sad broken man that was slowly showing himself. The devil that smiled like a child in a candy shop in front of death, blood and fear, the man that had the saddest smile I had ever seen. Ivan the man that always wore long coats and scarves to hide a body covered in old aged scars, the man whose body felt ice cold against my own body. So many different Ivans kept swirling inside my head.

And when blissful sleep was finally within my reach, I dreamed about Gilbert.


	5. Chapter 5

_His hands were intertwined with mine as we roughly kissed. Those bloody red eyes were full of hunger and lust as he looked me up and down, making me burn in anticipation for him to finally claim me as his own as I would soon be claiming him. He grinned that smug self assured grin that I had always loved and lowered his head to bite my neck roughly just the way I liked it, drawing out a satisfied moan from the both of us. I could feel his weight over me as he deliciously grinded his hips on mine. He released his hand from mine to draw them thru my hair pulling me to another hunger filled kiss and I moved my hands to do the same on his own snow white hair. He ended our hungry kissing by gently biting my lower lips making me whine with desire. His lips went lower, kissing and licking my jaw, my neck, my collarbone, and finally setting on one of my nipples. His kisses would make me shiver and squirm, moaning in delight as my fingers wrapped themselves harder into his soft hair. "Ich liebe dich Francis" he would whisper on my chest as he licked, bit and mercilessly teased me. I would reply with a husky "Je t'aime Gilbert, je t'aime" each end every time. I was becoming desperate in his attentions, needing those lips that I loved so much claiming me all over, to look on those red eyes as he told me he loved me and filled me, to have him smile as we kissed. I pulled his hair to draw his face over mine, claiming those lips for myself with the hunger that we always had when we would make love to each other. But when our lips reluctantly parted once more, cold violet eyes were looking back at me and a creepy childish smile had taken the place of the grin I had adored. "Francis" Ivan whispered as his lips pressed against mine. _

I screamed as my eyes were shot open and I hastily woke up from my nightmare. My heart was thundering inside my chest as I tried breathing again, the memory of last night's events combining with my recent nightmare and making me shudder. The alarm I had set for the pies was beeping incessantly besides me and I decided that working would be the best way to ride my mind of the unpleasant memories.

I retrieved the pies from the oven and began the morning routine of the bakery. Cleaning things up, checking up on ingredients, and placing goods on the shop's display. Chells and Mona arrive before Matthew at the store that morning, and after some pleasant greetings and a bit of flirting from my part they were ready for work. The girls were helping me with the displays when Matthew walked in. It took one look from me for him to turn beat red in a matter of seconds. And by the time Alfred and Arthur walked inside, Matthew seemed about ready to crawl into a hole. Alfred on the other hand grinned with such enthusiasm when he set his eyes on me that I had a very strong feeling that he was about to do something very stupid. He didn't disappoint me.

"Morning Franny, congrats on the sex, you dog!"

I had a second of prefect silence before the girls screamed together their surprise and enthusiasm for such juicy gossip. Arthur looked like he wanted to smack Alfred's head but retrained himself from it. Alfred, oblivious to everything and everyone, kept going on.

"I was gonna get you a card but Mattie said it would be tacky. So, was it any good?" That smug grin was killing me just as much as it was making the girls giddy.

Matthew somehow thought that would be the best time to speak up and actually be heard for once. "ALFRED! I told you not to mention any of it you idiot!"

It was another second before I heard the girls doing a very odd squeak noise and Chells started cheering and jumping. "Oh my god you two finally did it! Matthew baby I am so happy for you! Tell us everything and I want the dirty details too!"

Mona soon followed up with her own congratulations and enthusiasm. "About time you confessed! I'm so happy for you! Are you two dating now? Please tell me you are!"

It took me one look at Matthew's flushed face and panic to put two and two together and internally curse. _Merde_, I was an idiot. How had I missed it?

"Dude, what are you girls talking about?" Alfred sure looked as surprised as me.

Mona was the first to pick up something was wrong. "About Matthew and Francis finally getting over their sexual tensions and hooking up. What are you talking about?"

Alfred looked like he had just been shot as he turned to face his very embarrassed brother. I had to jump in and try to save whatever I still could of this situation by hastily trying to explain everything myself.

"Girls, please stop and listen. Matthew and Alfred happened to find me in the middle of something last night. And Alfred next time I will greatly appreciate it if you follow Matthew's advice and keep your mouth shut. Matthew _mon chou_, we can talk about this later if you want to, you are welcome to take the day off if you wish."

I had never seen Matthew disappear as fast as he did, Alfred bolting off in a mad dash after him. The girls awkwardly exchanged glances before they decided that the kitchen was a better location to feel guilty, leaving me alone with a still silent and grumpy Arthur. I practically slammed by head at the counter and let my arms cover it groaning in frustration once they had left.

"Am I really so blind?"

"You should be happier, I just lost ten bucks to Mona. I was sure Alfred was going to figure it out before you" I would have glared at him for taking bets on something like that, but I was feeling too tired and too frustrated to move. I was not mentally prepared to deal with something like this after cast night's events and only so few hours of troubled sleep. So I groaned instead.

"Oh bloody hell you frog-face, the lad was practically screaming it. I was laughing my ass off watching you, the self proclaimed 'master-of-love', being oblivious. What? Is he not your type or something?" I could practically see the sneer and amusement on his face. He and his damn over grown caterpillar eyebrows were having the time of their lives.

"What am I going to do Arthur?" What was I suppose to do? If only things had been different. I would have loved to spoil my sweet Matthew rotten and teach him everything about love, to be able to see him in his most intimate moments. How was I supposed to turn him down? It broke my heart to think of rejecting my sweet Matthew like that. But what was I supposed to do? It had to be done. I couldn't be me. He deserved someone better then me, someone true and honest that was able to protect and love him as he was. Someone with no dark dirty secrets and a morbid midnight agenda, someone who wasn't trapped in the devil's clutches doing his bidding.

"Hell would I know. You're the one claiming to be the love specialist. By the way, I want two scones and a meat pie to go."

The mention of the meat pies got me up again. So I lifted my head with a glare to Arthur's smug grin and went to pick up his scones. I almost considered actually selling him the meat pie but managed to control my frustration towards him. He was my friend, even if we hated each other most of the time, I didn't want him to eat those awful things. So I only gave him the scones instead.

"What about my pie frog?"

"You're not getting it. Also, I hope Alfred gets so guilty about this morning that he won't be able to fuck you for a month." Taking my frustration out of him may have been wrong, but doing so sure set a smile on my face. Watching Arthur turn red like that was so worth it.

"WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT YOU PERVERTED WANKER!" He yelled back at me red faced and fuming. Teasing him sure lifted up my spirits.

"Maybe not, but you sure wish you were don't you _mon cher_?"

Arthur turned around speed walking to the door, flipping me the finger and yelling a last 'I HATE YOU FROG!' before leaving slamming the door shut. Yet the site of his flushed red neck and ears was going to have to be enough to make me go on with my day. So with all the strength I could muster for now, I went ahead and called the girls to open up the shop.

As the day went by, the more broken hearted I became. Matthew's absence was almost painfully obvious for me. Even the girls were not as cheerful and as energetic as usual. For a boy that spent most of his time hidden in the kitchen or being ignored by our costumers, we sure missed him that day.

It was a little after noon that Chells walked into the kitchen to tell me that we had run out of meat pies. Not even that had helped to lessen the burden I was feeling that day. If only Matthew would have talked to me. I needed to find out a way to explain myself to him. But thinking about him only made me feel more depressed. How had I not seen the signs? Why me of all people? How come it seemed that everyone around me had figured it out before me? I almost wished that he wouldn't come back, he would be safer if he didn't come back.

For the first time I asked myself if I had been selfish to keep all those that I loved close to me like this even if I knew I could end up endangering them. Wasn't it better to cut off connections with all of them? Maybe get them to hate me so they wouldn't feel anything when something finally happened to me? How was I going to be able to keep lying to them if something came out? Matthew was just the beginning. Soon I would be finding excuses to turn them all down some way or another.

The sadness that was pouring inside me was too great and I didn't feel like baking anymore. I left my unfinished breads at the table and slumped somewhere to mope and feel miserable. Everything was happening too fast. Ivan, the bet, almost being caught, thinking about Gilbert after so long, and now Matthew, I didn't have enough time to stop a think and put everything in place. The more I wanted things to calm down the more complicated they seemed to turn out. I was drowning in my nightmares, unable to be sure what was real or not.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Francis?"

I looked up to the door to see Alfred for once being quiet and respectful. He reminded me of a child about to receive a scolding from his parents. He was holding his cap between his hands and looking down to his feet. He was looking a lot like the boy that had first come to the shop, dragging his younger brother by the hand and asking for any sort of job I could offer him.

"Francis, can we, maybe, talk?"

I lifted myself up from my pity corner and headed to the sink to clean my hands. Alfred waited patiently for me to do so and then I took him to my office. I sat behind my desk and he took a seat in front of me.

"What is it Alfred?" He was not really who I had hoped to talk to now, but I had things to discuss with him too. It had almost slipped my mind that I had also endangered him.

"Yea, well, about this morning…I know I screwed it up. I wanted to apologies. I know it was not my business to discuss what you do in your private life, or who you spent that time with. So, I'm sorry for bringing it up in front of everyone like that ok." Alfred kept scratching the back of his head awkwardly. It was clearly his brother who had told him to apologies. Even that small gesture of his sent my heart to sink. Alfred kept on.

"Also Matthew said that he would like to take your offer and have a few days off, mentioned something about not being able to see you face-to-face for a while. He said you guys can talk later and that he would rather you didn't go after him cause he just might die of embarrassment if you did. He also mentioned something about being happy for you and wishing you and you new boyfriend all the happiness you deserve but I think he was lying about that." I smiled.

"I am quite sure he was. I accept your apology. You can tell Matthew he may take as long as he likes, and that he is always welcomed back here if he wants to." I took a moment for myself before moving the subject to the more pressing matter.

"But Alfred, I actually wanted to speak to you about something." He seemed a bit surprised, but I figured I had to speak to him now that I had the chance before things went for the worst and I would be too late to warn him.

"Alfred, I have a favor to ask of you, and I want you to promise me now, that you will do it." He sure seemed a bit uncomfortable with me acting serious like that. But he trusted me none the less and agreed.

"Thank you Alfred. What I want to ask of you is that should anything and I really mean anything, should happen to me, I want you to take the girls and Matthew away, I want you to protect them as best you can and take them away to some place where you are sure they will be safe. Can you do that for me.?" I could feel my heart twist in misery, to part with my children would be a painful experience. It would be lonely without their smiles around me. But anything was better then to learn that they had suffered because of me.

"Is everything ok?" Alfred sounded worried. "Francis are you alright? Did something happen?"

"Alfred, promise me you will keep your word. You will be the hero and keep everyone safe for me won't you?"

"Francis what's happening?"

"I also want you to be watchful of yourself Alfred. I know that being a cop already puts you in several dangerous situations, but I don't want you or Arthur being hurt do you understand?"

"I do Francis, and I will protect everyone. But why are you asking something like this from me all of the sudden?"

Alfred wasn't used to seeing me serious like that, my warning had been clear enough for him to think I was the one in danger. It was time for me to act silly again to make sure he wouldn't think too much of my wish to protect them.

"Because Alfred, I had the most dreadful nightmare the other night and I just want to make sure it will never happen. Honestly I am never eating eggplants or asparagus before bed again." I did a dramatic wave along my lines and kept the show going.

"All those tentacles monsters attacking you all while I was imprisoned myself were just so horrifying. Not that I didn't entirely enjoy it but it was terrifying none the less."

Alfred's worried expression turned into an 'are-you-on-drugs' look. "You're forcing promises out of me cause you had some fucked up dream about tentacle monsters?"

"_Oui_, and you better keep them." Alfred was back to normal doing an awful job holding back his snickering.

"Ok fine, first sign of you missing cause of an alien invasion or mutant tentacle monsters I'm sending everyone to safety. And I'll keep an eye out for Arthur and myself too just so you can sleep better at night. Deal?"

"Perfect. Now, can I offer you and Matthew a batch of chocolate chips maple cookies or do you think that will be too much for him?"

Things were back to normal now. Alfred left with two batches of freshly baked cookies promising me he wouldn't eat them all without Matthew and I was feeling better having talked with him. Even if my warning did end up turning into a joke, I knew he would keep his promises of being careful and watching out for everyone. Now, even if Ivan did try something, I could stay assured that Alfred would find a way to keep them safe for me. And I went back to the kitchen to finish my day with lighter shoulders then before.


	6. Chapter 6

I was in the most perfect bliss. The deafening sound of the music and the bright lights blinding me were only enhancing my self induced high. It had been so long that I had not simply gone out to a club and partied with the crowd that I had nearly forgotten how wonderful it was to feel surrounded by people. To dance, drink and laugh with complete strangers, to be able to forget everything and simply enjoy the moment. Even the facts such as my problems with the Russian devil, Matthew's absence at the bakery, and that I had arrived here completely alone had been dismissed the second I started talking to the random strangers at the bar. It had been so long since I had such a good time. The sense of freedom that I was feeling was such that I simply had to take the chance to enjoy it. It was the perfect stress reliever for me.

As I had another drink at the bar, I noticed a group of lovely girls standing near me. All of them were young, beautiful and absolutely willing if I were to go by what they were wearing. One in particular caught my attention, she wore her long blonde hair in pigtails, was wearing a tight punk styled blue dress that was just tight enough and short enough to keep one wanting more, and she had the most delightful self assured grin I had seen in a long time, the fact that she also had the greenest eyes I had seen since Arthur was just a bonus by this point. The way she was walking and dancing as she owned the place was just mesmerizing. And being the player that I was, I went ahead to talk to her.

"_Bonsoir ma belle_, would you perhaps mind assisting me a bit?"

She whipped her face at me with a scrowl that would rival's Arthur's. "What do you want you bloody frog?" I take it back. She was Arthur in a dress.

"Awn, what a pity you're British, forgive me." I turned away from her intending to head back to the bar when I felt a hand grabbing my sleeve.

"What the bloody fuck did you mean by that you wanker?"

"_Desole ma cherie_, but I just have the worst of luck with you people. You seem to instantly hate me just for being French."

The way her cheeks flushed was such an adorable thing I had to hold myself from grinning. She took a moment for herself before coughing a bit. "I am terribly sorry for my attitude earlier, it is very un-lady like and I apologies." It seemed like the guilt tripping had worked. She really was like Arthur, maybe I could use the same routine I had used on him when we first met.

"How about a drink?"

A few more drinks and a bit of dancing later and we were dry humping each other like teenagers while we attempted to reach my apartment. The way that little punk girl was grinding against my crotch during our rough make out session as we ascended the stairs was tempting me to simply knock her down in that instance and take her right there in the hallways. Her hands had already made a nice job on my shirt and were currently working on my belt while she kept covering my collarbone with her sinfully plump pink lips. My own hands were now very busy rubbing themselves on that perfectly round ass of hers and imagining what exactly I was going to do with those cheeks.

We were rolling on the walls, unable to keep our hands from each other, the way she moaned whenever I trusted my hips onto hers just increased my wanting making me wish that damned tease of a dress gone so I could sink my mouth on her breasts as I kept grinding on her. That girl was making my head spin with the things she was able to do with that tongue of her in my mouth. I was heating up in anticipation as to what else she could do with it somewhere else. She managed to find a sensitive spot on my neck and I lost all sense of rational thought as I slammed her body against my front door and snaked my hand under her dress and panties to sink my fingers deep into her. Oh the way she moaned my name, she was so wet and warm and all so ready for me. I was going to fuck her good and hard on the couch because there was just no way I would be able to contain myself long enough to reach the bedroom.

The hand that had previously been squeezing that nice round ass of hers was now attempting to locate my keys as I kept finger fucking her to the door. I was sure to get another complaint letter from me neighbors by the way she was moaning my name but she was looking just so deliciously fuckable half ravished like that. Her hair loose and tossed over, her dress half raised so I could see her belly bottom and half my hand inside her, that adorable flush on her face as she closed her eyes in ecstasy, her mouth forming a perfect oh. I was sure she was going to keep me up for several rounds tonight.

I finally was able to unlock my door and we crashed inside my apartment. The door slammed loudly behind us as I toppled her on the couch. My shirt was the first thing to go, followed by her panties and my belt. I was so entranced by the way she was wrapped up nicely around me, moaning and grinding on me as I kissed her all over that I didn't realize the odd footsteps I heard now were actually coming from inside the apartment.

Something grabbed my hair and yanked me off her, throwing me to the floor, the scream that came afterwards as I fell was blood chilling. When I raised myself in panic to see what on earth was happening I regretted it instantly. Ivan was in my living room, holding an almost empty vodka bottle in one hand and my date's throat on the other. The devil was holding he up like a cloth doll, a sadistic child like smile in place as he watched the girl clutching at his hands attempting to breath. _Mon Dieu_, he was going to kill her. As soon as I realization kicked in, I instantly raised to tackled Ivan, trying to make him release her.

I have no idea where the courage to do such a thing had appeared from but I was not just going to let him kill some innocent girl that happened to be with me by chance. If he was here, inside my apartment, waiting for me, it must have meant he had been sent to finally finish me off. But he must have drunk a lot while waiting because he easily fell over releasing his hand from her. She fell and started coughing as the air started to come back to her. I wanted to run to her and check if she was ok, but the devil's hand grabbed my hair again.

"You are a bad man Francis." He was slurring into my ear. My hands reached back to his hand, trying to figure out a way for him to release me. Pain shot thru my system and I screamed as he yanked my hair harder raising me and slamming me to the wooden floor. I open my eyes to see the girl wide eyed staring at me, the way she was shaking in fear not knowing what to do, I had to get her out of here. If I was to die tonight, I was going to die alone. So I screamed at her.

"RUN!"

She jolted back to life and dashed to the door as the devil yanked me up to my feet only to throw me back onto my couch. He ignored her, seemed to have forgotten that there had been another person in the room before. I heard the door open and slam shut again as the devil grabbed my chin turning my head to face him. He hovered over me, sitting above my legs and pinning me in place on the couch.

"You are a bad man Francis." The devil took a swing from the bottle, his face was flushed and his eyes were a bit hazy. I was sure he was drunk.

"Monsters cannot mingle with normal people Francis. We both know that don't we? Us monsters got to stick together right?" He kept on slurring, releasing my chin and caressing my left cheek.

Honestly I was too terrified to move. I didn't know what the devil was capable of doing in this drunken state. I already knew he was a killer, and he had nearly killed that girl just now, I dreaded to think about what he was going to do to me.

"Such a pretty monster you are. Never showing how ugly you're inside." He kept on slurring, preferring to release the bottle to draw his fingers thru my hair instead. It was odd how he was being careful this time as opposed to the rough treatment he was giving me seconds ago.

"Such a wicked monster you are, tricking everyone to love you instead of fearing you." The hand that was on my cheek started to trail lower, finally trailing on to my collar bone where it remained. His hands were so cold.

"Nothing marking you for the monster you are." His fingers ghosted across the love bites surrounding my neck He slumped forwards, placing his head in the crook of my neck. My hands shot to his shoulders, I was scared that he would try forcing himself on me again. I didn't know if I could make him stop if he did, if he would stop by hearing my pleas. But he did nothing besides resting his head there and wrapping his arms around me in an awkward hug.

Things were quiet now. Nothing was heard beyond our breathing and the soft sounds coming from outside. I kept still, still fearing that he would try something or that he would suddenly turn violent against me again. But as the minutes passed, my mind calmed down and I gathered courage to try and do something about all this.

"Ivan?" I was speaking softly, trying to be calm and assured. He mumbled something in response. "Ivan, are you here on orders?"

I felt his head shaking and then burring itself deeper into the crook of my neck. He mumble something in Russian I didn't understand, but I was sure there was a '_Nyet_' in there, and I knew that meant 'no' in Russian.

"Ivan, how about we sit down more comfortably so we can talk? Hum? How about that?" The position I was in was getting very uncomfortable, and Ivan was acting very odd even for a drunk man.

His arms squeezed around me. "Can I lay on you lap?" He sounded like a five year old talking to his mother. It just baffled my mind how he could go from a scary ass monster to a sad broken thing without warning like that. But who was I to deny the request of a mad man that could kill me in a blink of an eye.

"Sure Ivan, you can rest your head on my lap if you want to." He released me and moved away so that I could move to the furthest part of the couch before him promptly laying down again resting his head on my lap just as he wanted. The way he laid down with his face turned to my chest and grabbing one of my hand to hold between his own cold ones had such a child like nature I instinctively laid my free hand above his head to cares it. His hair was soft and the little delighted hum that came from him when I caressed it assured me that for now, the monster was subdued and that he was just a very big child. The wonders of alcohol.

"Comfortable?" He hummed something in agreement, and I took a deep breath to start the twenty questions game. "Good. Now, Ivan, why don't you tell me how you got inside my apartment first?"

"Your file said you had a spare key hidden outside the window on the hallway. I found it." His voice was softer then usual, still slurring a bit, but very different from the way he was speaking before. It was awkward how a man so big naturally had such a soft child like voice.

"And why did you come here tonight?" The fact that he had admitted that he had read my personal file from the mob was no surprise, what I did find surprising was that they had this kind of information on it. Just what kind of things did they actually keep in there?

"I didn't want to be alone today. It's Yao's three years anniversary today." I didn't know who this Yao was, or why he didn't want to be alone today because of an anniversary, but it was new information and I knew I would have never managed to get him talking to me like that normally. I instantly thought of our bet. If I played this correctly I could get hit to spill all the information I needed to win my freedom back. Ivan kept on mumbling.

"You would have liked Yao-yao. He was nice and kind to me, even when I scared him. He always welcomed me in his shop with a smile. I miss him. " I kept caressing his head comforting him. Who ever this Yao was, Ivan obviously cared for him. Could he have the same reasons as I did? Had he been forced to this life to protect this Yao just as I did trying to protect Gilbert?

"What happened to Yao Ivan?" I needed to know more.

"You made a pie out of him." I froze. _QUOI_?

"W-What do you mean by that Ivan?"

"Winter said Yao-yao was bad for me. So he had him killed. I was to take the body to you for disposal. You baked a pie out of him. But you let me keep his hair. I was very grateful for that."

I stood frozen. It couldn't be true. What sort of cruel man could this Winter be to force Ivan to watch me as I butchered someone he cared about? Anger and guilt build up on me. How could I have butchered someone close to him unknowingly, I couldn't even remember giving Ivan someone's hair as a keep sake three years ago.

I cursed my quick emotions, the irony of it all. I had started my day just like always, returned home only to be scared to death by this devil of a man and have him make me feel so terribly guilty only a half an our later. Ivan sure was a stronger person then me, I would have never been able to simply watch as someone did that to my loved ones, to be able to keep seeing that person, to even want to talk to that person. I felt just so terribly guilty. I felt so much like the monster I had always believe him to be.

"I am sorry Ivan" My apology felt so weak, but I didn't know what else to do.

"It's ok. My sister told me that there are places where they eat their dead so their souls can remain with the living. So it means that Yao is not really dead, but living among the people that come by your shop. That's why I like it there, you don't just dump people to rot on isolated places or burn them down with the garbage like the others, you keep everyone together in the shop. Just like a family."

I couldn't take it anymore, I felt so horrible, like such a disgusting monster. How come this devil that I had cursed and damned for all the time I had know him have such an innocent child's heart? What kind of sick and twisted world could have raised someone so broken? I felt the tear falling down my cheeks before I realized I was shedding them. One of the tears fell on Ivan's cheek and he lifted his head to look at me. His eyes were still hazy but the flush of his face had lessened. He was still drunk, and yet when he lifted one hand to swipe my tears and ask if I was alright I knew I could never make myself hate him again.

"Yes Ivan I am fine, forgive me." I leaned down and kissed his forehead like a father did to his child for comfort. "Why don't we go to sleep now? Hum? It is already pretty late. You can sleep in my bed and I will take the couch."

"_Nyet_. Beds are cold, I want to sleep here where it's warm." He curled himself closer to me like a petulant child. The image was so perfectly adorable I let myself smile.

"Fine, how about we both sleep on the bed then? That way it will be warm."

Ivan nodded and rose. When I stud up besides him I felt like an idiot for thinking of a man that size as a child, he was two heads taller and twice as larger then me for crying out loud. But I couldn't stop myself from thinking it. So I took his hand and guided him inside the apartment to the bedroom. Without changing I slipped inside the bed with Ivan. He snuggled close to me, resting his head on my bare chest, and mumbled something about it being nice and warm.

I wrapped an arm around him and returned to weave my fingers thru his hair. He was fast asleep in no time at all. I remained awake thinking. I could possibly regret this in the morning, things would be different once he sobered up again, but there was just no way to go back to how things were before. I fell asleep that night with a heavy load in my heart, but with a warm smile in my face as I watched Ivan's own warm smile in his sleeping face.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up to loud banging at my door. When shifting on the bed, I realized I was alone. The banging at the front door kept on, but now someone had decided to shout my name along with the knocking. As unwilling as I was to do so, I slipped out of bed to see just who had decided to wake me up the one day I could sleep thru the morning. I didn't even bother to make myself look presentable, who ever was knocking was getting very impatient. But even before I could reach my door to open it, it was forced open with a bang making me yelp backward. "_Sacrebleu_!"

Two blue figures went pass me inside the apartment screaming things, and it took me a moment to realize they were police officers and that they were searching my apartment. I panicked for a second before remembering that I never kept any mob related article at home, everything was kept at the bakery. And with a final 'clear' coming from the officers, one of them finally turned towards me and I cursed.

"_Rosebife_, what is the meaning of this?"

"I want to ask the same thing to you frog." Arthur's glares where always very good, but he seemed to have over done himself this morning. "We got a report this morning from some girl claiming that she and her date where attacked inside his apartment last night. You can imagine how we reacted once she spilled out your name."

_Merde_ I had forgotten about the girl. How was I going to explain everything? If it had been a different set of cops I could probably find a way to lie myself free, but Arthur would be able to see right thru me. I was screwed.

"Wow Franny, that looks nasty. You ok?" Alfred had found a way to creep up beside me and was pointing to my face.

"W-what?" I lifted a hand to my face and winced at the pain when my hand actually brushed it. Yea, I had also forgotten I had been slammed head first to the floor, those things usually left some nasty bruising. The vain urge to look at myself in a mirror won over me and I simply left both of them standing at my living room as I went to the bathroom to see the damage. I was not a very pretty site at the moment, my right temple was swollen with different shades of purple around it and my lips and chin had been cut. It was going to take a ton of makeup to cover that up later. I cursed as I turned the cold water on and soaked a small towel to place it over the bruises. When I looked up the mirror again, Arthur was scrowling at me from the doorway.

"Are you going to tell what happened last night or am I going to have to drag you down to the station frog?"

Resigning myself to my cursed fate, I walked out the bathroom and went to the kitchen with Arthur following me. Alfred already seemed to have made himself at home and was currently stuffing himself of whatever sweet goods I kept at my kitchen.

"I don't think I have Earl Grey, would you mind lemon tea?" I searched my cupboards for the tea as Arthur sat down at the table besides Alfred.

"Which ever you have will be fine."

I grabbed the tea, and went ahead to prepare it for Arthur, while the kettle was boiling up, I drew a cup of coffee for myself. When the tea was ready, I sat down besides Alfred facing Arthur.

"What do you need to know?" Alfred may be kind of lax about his job when around me, but Arthur was taking this as seriously as any other case, regardless of our friendship. I sipped some of my coffee, surely looking as tired as I was, playing the 'innocent-man' game was always tiring. But it was either that, or confessing up everything and risking losing all.

"Let's start with the girl."

"We meet at a club, we talked had a few drinks and I brought her back here." Alfred choked up on the muffin he was currently devouring.

"Wait up, what about your boyfriend? The big guy me and Mattie caught you with at the bakery? Do you always cheat like that? Cause if so, I'm glad you and Matt are not a thing." I glared at him. How dare him to think such a thing of me.

"First of all, he is not my boyfriend, you just assumed that. Second of all, I don't cheat when in a relationship, it is despicable and below my standards."

"Sure whatever frog, you're a bloody gentleman, now back to business. What happened when you entered the apartment?" I swallowed more coffee to hide my uneasiness, it was time to lie and hope Arthur didn't catch me.

"We fucked on the couch. And that is all I remember from last night" Arthur glared at me.

"What happened frog? You better tell me the truth or I am slamming the book at you."

"I don't remember. I woke up with you two banging on my door, and not the fun way."

Alfred stopped eating for a moment to stare at me. "What do you mean….. Oh I got it, nice one Franny." He started sniggering. Arthur was red faced embarrassed just the way I liked it.

"Frog, you either tell me what happened or I am locking you up at the station for the day, do you understand?"

"I just did _mon cher_._ Mon dieu_, it's like you never had too many drinks before. I was drunk, I don't recall last night."

"That's bullocks frog and you know it. What happened?"

It seemed that trying to fool Arthur was doing me no good. So I had to resign myself to just shrug obliviously. That sure sent him into a silent rage. Arthur glared at me, it was the special glare he always kept for those special occasions when he was down right full of my crap.

"Jones." Alfred sat up straight on his chair and assumed his default cop mode in a heart beat by Arthur's tone.

"Yes, officer Kirkland?"

"Cuff Bonnefoy up. He needs to refresh his head down at the station."

Both Alfred and I exclaimed our surprise.

"You can't arrest me! I haven't done anything!"

"Artie, dude, this is Francis we are talking about! I can't just arrest him!"

"I don't bloody care. If the frog insists on not telling me the truth then I am arresting him as a suspect for assault. So do your job and seize him as you were told to do."

Feeling that it really was hopeless, I sighed and resigned myself. Alfred whispered an apology while he was cuffing my hands behind my back, but I didn't really care for it. It was a very quiet walk out of the apartment and an even quieter ride down to the police station. Arthur would occasionally glare at my direction, perhaps hoping that I would break down and decide to tell him everything, Alfred seemed miserable the entire time. I kept to myself, ignoring their glances.

When we arrived to the station, I was taken to an empty cell and left there alone. The harsh reality of my situation came crashing down on my shoulders. How long could Arthur keep me here without evidence? What would the mob do if they learned I had been arrested? Should I talk and pledge a deal of some sorts? Should I remain silent? All those wondering thoughts kept pounding inside my head and I soon was feeling sick of them. What could I do? The answer was nothing. So I gave up thinking, I laid back on the empty cell bench and closed my eyes telling myself that sleep was the better option. So I slept and I dreamed.

_I was at my bakery, it was night, and I knew it was night because the kitchen was exactly the way I arrange it when I am going to butcher a corpse up for the meat pies. But Matthew was still there, baking some cookies to sell to our costumers the next day. There was knock at the door and I went ahead to open it. Ivan was at the other side, holding a body by his shoulder. He walked inside and placed the body down at my table, Matthew didn't glace back from his baking. I looked down at my table and a small Asian man with a long ponytail was laid out there. His throat was marked and bruised, someone had choked him to death. There were two Ivans then, one stood silently besides Matthew, watching me as I was about to begin my work, the other one had his arms wrapped around my waist and his face leaned against my shoulder, he was crying._

_I had my knives in my hands and started working, listening to the crying Ivan on my shoulders. The Ivan standing next to Matthew turned his eyes away from me to look at the Canadian boy baking. It made me feel uneasy, but I knew I had to do my work. So I kept on cutting the corpse's skin. The more I cut the more the Ivan on my shoulder cries and the other Ivan creeps himself closer to Matthew. I knew that if I didn't stop him, that Ivan would try harming him. Yet I keep cutting the corpse._

_When it came to cut out the scalp of the corpse, I hesitated. Something inside me made me cut off the scalp but not throw it away, instead I turned to the crying Ivan that was behind me and I gave it to him. He stood still for a second but then released himself from me to pick the scalp up. The Ivan that had been creeping up to Matthew turned around and headed back towards me. And suddenly there was a third Ivan wrapping his arms around me. The three Ivans now surrounded me, watching me as I turned back to finish the job. The one holding the scalp was smiling gently at me, he was speaking to the other two Ivans. The one wrapped around me was being gentle, kissing me softly and nuzzling himself on the crook of my neck. The last Ivan was just standing there, watching me, and I somehow knew he was actually holding back from holding me too because he was scared of something._

_And then I had suddenly finished my work and the pies were done. I was sitting down on a dinner table surrounded by people. Ivan sat by my right, the corpse of the Asian man I had just butchered was sitting beside him. Gilbert was at my left, Antonio was sitting besides him. Arthur, Alfred, Matthew, Mona and Chells were all seated in front of us. Next to our table were other tables identical to ours, I knew every seat was occupied by someone I knew, and the copses I had butcher thru out the years were seated besides my family and friends. _

_I felt happy, everything was just perfect. Everyone was smiling, laughing, toasting and eating meat pies. Gilbert kissed my hand, and I kissed his cheeks, he flushed before he pecked my lips. "Ich liebe dich Francis" he said, before he turned back to Antonio to laugh about something. And then I felt Ivan kissing my cheek, and I turned to kiss him back. I kissed his lips, sweetly and lovingly, and when I pulled away, he was red faced and adorable. "Ya tebya lyublyu Francis." He whispered, and then he kissed my lips again. _

"FROG!"

I jolted up from my sleep to see Arthur standing at the cell's open door. "_Quoi_?"

"Get up you damn frog, you have been released." Arthur seemed more pissed off then this morning. Something must have happened.

"What? What happened?"

"Just get up and get out." Not really in the spirit to question Arthur's mood or the reasons for my release, I stud up and left the cell.

"Your lawyer is waiting for you at the main exit." Arthur grumbled as I followed him to the exit.

"What lawyer?" I had no idea of what Arthur was talking about. My sister had always been the one dealing with any legal subject I ended up with. She was a damned good lawyer if I did say so myself, but I hadn't contacted her, or anyone else for that matter, after my arrest this morning. Who on earth was this lawyer and what the hell was he doing here?

"Karpu... something, he claims to be your lawyer and he did a bloody good job getting your ass released with no bail." Arthur stopped and turned to face me with his glare. "How the bloody hell did you managed that?"

I shrugged my shoulders, honestly having no idea on how to answer that. Arthur's guess as to how that lawyer showed up where as good as mine at this point. Arthur grumbled some more until we were at the main door. A man wearing a black suit with dark brown hair and an odd split curl on top of his head came ahead to meet us. He had a sleepy look on his face.

"Francis Bonnefoy I believe" He stretched out his hand to shake mine respectfully, but something in his tone made me think he was faking it. That man for some reason didn't like me. "My name is Heracles Karpusi."

"A pleasure to meet you." I shook his hand and wondered where the hell he had come from.

"If you would excuse us now officer, I will be taking my client back to his home." Heracles started walking ahead, and I followed him, turning around to glimpse a furious Arthur. I winked at him and blew him a kiss just to piss him off some more. When he flipped me both of his fingers I had a grin plastered on my face.

Heracles opened the door of a luxurious black limousine and signaled for me to get in. Something rang alarms inside my head. It couldn't be? But I entered the limo, Heracles following after me. The minute Heracles closed the door the limo drove off, and I heard the chilling childish voice I knew so well.

"Francis, it is good to see you safe."

Ivan was seated in front of us. I wasn't sure what to do. Scream? Try to run? Lash out on him? Move besides him, hold his hand and ask about last night? For lack of courage, I simply remained silent. Ivan kept his eyes on me, his eyes kept staring back at the bruises on my face for a long time, perhaps with some sort of regret reflecting on them. Heracles was the one to break the silence.

"I did what I was told. It is your turn to keep your end of the bargain."

Ivan reluctantly turned to face the lawyer. I was very relieved to not have that blood chilling smile directed at me. If anything, it looked ten times worse directed at someone else. Ivan seemed ready to kill the man.

"Of course. I am a man of my word after all." Ivan picked up a cell phone from his coat's pocket, dialed a number and threw the device to Heracles. The man lunged for the device and rushed it to his ears with such desperation I understood at once what was happening.

Heracles' family had probably been taken hostage. That man was trapped into Ivan's bidding, like I was trapped to it. It made sense now why he had disliked me on site. To him, I was someone like Ivan, a cold blooded monster, a mobster that would use others for my own gains. I felt sick just to be considered like that.

Heracles was now rapidly talking on the phone with someone in a language I was guessing to be Greek. Tears could be seen forming on his eyes. Whoever was on the other side certainly was someone very important to him. You could tell he had cut himself out of this world to hold on to the voice coming out of the phone. The site of it made me sicker still. So I turned to face the window.

Ivan's reflection was on the window, and for some reason, I ended up observing it. Ivan's hands kept fumbling with his scarf as he kept glancing at my direction. There were moments that it seemed like he would start talking, but nothing left his mouth. To me, it was like the child I had seen last night had come back. There was something very adorable about him when he was acting like a fish opening and closing his mouth uncertain, watching him act like that instead of his usual scary self made me feel better.

The limo parked in front of my apartment building. I glanced at Heracles, still talking on the phone, and then to Ivan. He had stopped fumbling with his scarf and had regained the scary mobster attitude. With his creepy smile, he nodded at me, allowing me to get out of the car. So I opened the door and left without a word. The limo drove off and I was left standing in front of the building, trying to figure out what was I to do with the rest of my day off.


	8. Chapter 8

The whole world could just go fuck itself and leave me alone. After being dropped off in front of my apartment by Ivan, I walked upstairs to discover that someone had forgotten my door open, which led me to find out that someone had taken the opportunity to rob my place clean. I had cursed and yelled and left a dozen angry messages to Arthur and Alfred. When I finally tired myself out of filling their voice mails with every insult and curse I could muster in English, French, Spanish and German I went ahead to try and sleep my frustrations away, and failing miserably.

My alarm went off screaming the end of my torturous tossing and turning so I got up tired and restless in the hopes that today would be a better day. I left the apartment for the bakery under a blue sky, suddenly turning into a storm, which wouldn't have been that bad except for the fact that I rode a motorcycle and that meant I was going to arrive at the bakery soaking wet. When hastily arriving at the bakery and parking my bike under the protection of the canopy, some mad driver speeded away on a puddle that splashed right at me the moment I had removed my helmet, covering me head to toe in disgusting muddy water. At that point I let go of my pent up frustrations into elaborated screaming curse and decided that I had all the rights to just be pissed off for the day.

I unlocked the bakery and walked inside, switching the lights up. But the bakery remained dark and after a few more attempts at the lights and checking the rest of the store, I discovered that the rain had somehow managed to cut of the power of the bakery. I had an angry call to the energy supplier and they only returned me stating that the power would be back once the rain stopped. It took one look at the rain outside for me to know that I was keeping the store closed for the day. So I sent a text to the girls and Matthew, just in case, telling them that they wouldn't be needed at the shop.

I debated facing the rain to head back home and crawl back to bed to be miserable there, but I figured it was probably best to stay in the store and check on the paper work since I was already stuck there for now. So I slumped inside my dark office and started organizing what I could in the dim light that I had. The boring and monotonous work actually didn't help my mood at all, but it did distract my mind from inventing some new creative ways to gat back at the world for being such a bitch.

I managed to dive deep into work, losing my track of time. The soft sound of the rain that was pouring outside had become a soothing music to help me concentrate on the pile of paper work that I was arranging. Everything was so quiet, so empty. The silence was getting under my skin somehow and suddenly I was no longer angry, I was just feeling empty and miserable like the shop. A sad shell of what was supposed to be a human being. I hated being alone like that, hated not having anyone close to me to be able to pour out my angers and frustrations. I hated being abandoned.

If only Antonio and Gilbert were still around. Antonio would have listened to my frustrations with a smile and after I had spilled out everything, he would invite me for some wine and a nice home cooked dinner. He would have given whatever advice he could while we ate and drank and then send me off with a smile or invite me for the night. Gilbert would have taken out the alcohol and have joined me in my drunken ranting until I forgot how to speak, only to take me into his arms and kiss me senseless until I forgot even my own name.

I missed them so much. I desperately hoped they were someplace safe, somewhere far away. But I also wanted them here with me so badly.

The tears ran from my eyes. I cursed my overly emotional person. I used to have much more control over myself during my youth, but it seemed that I was becoming unable to keep my emotions under control. I gave up working and instead I let everything spill out of me. I cried away my angers and miseries alone in the darkness of my office. I wanted to cry for hours, cry for myself, for all of my friends and loved ones. I let myself cry because it was the only thing I knew I could do.

My sobs mixed with the sound of the rain outside, echoing thru out the empty shop and enhancing my sense of loneliness. I couldn't stand being there anymore, I needed to leave this miserably office and find people, find someone to be with. Find someone to talk too. I shoved all the paper work back into a drawer and stud up fully intending to drive off somewhere full of people. But as soon as I stepped out to the front part of the store I saw Ivan standing outside the glass door. He must have been as shocked as I was to see me because he seemed to have suddenly stiffened when he noticed me.

We remained frozen staring at each other long enough for me to control the urge of dismissing having seen him and go running back into safety inside my office. I will never know why, but I reluctantly approached the front door of the shop and opened it.

"Ivan." My tone was cold even for myself. But it was the third day in a row that Ivan had appeared without warning and I was becoming very tired of it. I didn't hate him, but I still didn't know how I was supposed to deal with him.

"_Privet_ Francis." Ivan's sinister child like voice was still able to make me want to whimper. I knew he was not trying to scare me intentionally, I knew he was actually just a sad child inside a man's body, but the knowledge of all that still didn't make me fear him less.

"Why are you here Ivan?" The way he looked away from me and shoved his hands inside his pockets, probably to prevent himself of reaching out to fumble with his scarf, were a clear sign for me that it was not a business visit.

"I… I just… I was passing by and… you weren't in your apartment… so I just…" _Mon Dieu_, he looked like such a child in his actions. It was scary how adorable his face was beginning to flush as he tried to mumble out an excuse. Something odd moved inside me as I watched him acting like that.

"Ivan, would you like to get out of the rain and come inside?" _Merde_, I had just invited him inside. What was I doing? How desperate for company was I to invite him inside the shop? But the way Ivan suddenly looked back at me with something shining behind his eyes, almost made me feel like it had been a good idea.

"_Spasibo_ Francis." I stepped out of the way as he walked in and closed the door to prevent more rain and cold winds from coming inside. I stood there looking at him for a moment and quickly realized I had no clue as to what I was doing. Ivan looked around the shop, and then set his eyes upon me, there was something very sad in the way he was smiling now.

"I…I'm…I am sorry." I looked up to him confused and surprised. I had not expected an apology from him, ever. What was he sorry about?

"I…I know I can get violent when drunk, and when I woke up next to you yesterday, and I saw those bruises on your face, I…I got scared. I thought I did something I shouldn't have so I ran. I'm sorry. I…I didn't want to hurt you Francis. I went back to try to apologize, but then you had already been arrested. And…And I got even more scared that it was also my fault so I…I called up the law department and made them send me someone to help you out. Bu…But then I didn't manage to apologize to you wh…when we were at the car and then I…I panicked again because I was sure yo…you would hate me…me. Ka…Kat said I…I should try apologizing ag…again any way. S…So wh…what I want to s…say is, I…I am sorry fo…for whatever I…I did that night a…and I really hoped tha…that you could forgive me Francis."

_Sacrebleu_!There were tears coming out of his eyes. Ivan was actually crying in front of me. I was dumb folded. How the hell could Ivan poses such guilty thinking when he was able to murder with no regrets? Had he had a multiple personality disorder? Or was he simply mad? It was the only way to explain the switches between the devil and the child. But there was always the chance that I was simply becoming mad myself and hallucinating all of this. How on earth was I to deal with someone like that?

"It is fine Ivan. No one got seriously injured that night so you don't have to feel guilty. And you didn't force me into anything, so you don't have to worry. I forgive you ok. You don't have to cry over it ok." Damn tears where always a weak point for me. I could never stand seeing someone else crying. I awkwardly placed my hands over his arms and tried to rub them for comfort. Ivan was still teary eyed but something in his smile warmed up and the sniffing lessened.

"Yo…you really forgive me?" He sniffed again.

"_Oui_ Ivan. I forgive you, now please stop crying."

"_Spa_…_spasibo_ Francis." He cleaned the last of the tears from his eyes with his sleeves. "Wo…would you mind if I stayed here with you for the day?"

I felt a twist in both my guts and my heart. Part of me, was saying that I should send him away as fast as I could before something else in this horrible day I was having turned worse. The other side of me, probably the more forgiving and loving side, however wanted to allow Ivan to stay by my side so I could comfort him and at the same time end my miserable loneliness. Somehow the latter won over.

"Sure Ivan, you can stay with me. But I was actually heading back to my apartment now." For a second Ivan looked disappointed. "But you are welcome to come there with me." That last part made him smile more happily. I was sure to be going mad for considering his smile cute.

"But I have to warn you that I ride a motorcycle and I don't have an extra helmet with me." The rain outside was still pouring down. But I really didn't have an alternate method to return home unless I took a cab or a crowded bus back, but cabs where expensive and I really despised taking the bus.

"A…actually, I have a car parked outside. If…if you wish, I could drive the both of us there." Ivan pulled out his keys from a pocket on his coat. Considering everything I had already done, I really didn't think that accepting a ride from him would make things worse, and I would really enjoy avoiding the rain.

"_Merci_ Ivan."

We walked out of the bakery together, I locked everything up, and Ivan led me to his car. I was going to have to figure out how to go to the bakery tomorrow morning, but I hoped it at least wasn't going to be raining. The ride back to my apartment was silent with the exception of Ivan wanting me to confirm the correct rout a couple of times

He parked near my apartment and I was considering myself insane by the time I was unlocking my apartment door to let Ivan inside. Not only had I developed sympathy for the man that I had considered the Devil and the bane of my existence for the past five years, I had invited him inside my house after he had broken in and injured me only two nights ago.

"Would you like something to drink?" I was inside my kitchen trying to figure out if they had robbed my wines, but luckily enough I had all my bottles. I grabbed one of the bottles and picked out two glasses for us and headed to the living room. Ivan was sitting on the couch seeming to be analyzing my entire living room. I handed him one of the glasses and poured some wine for him, he thanked me and took a very small sip while I poured a cup for myself and sat on the other end of the couch.

"Your apartment seems, different, from what I remembered."

"That would be because I was robbed yesterday." I took a deep satisfying gulp from my wine. Ivan turned his body sideways so to face me.

"Do you want to send men after your things?" I looked at him puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

Ivan took a deep sigh. "We are not just mobsters Francis, we control about a third of the city's underground and have half of the police department and city counsel in our pockets. We can probably find who ever robbed your apartment in less then a week and have him arrested or brought to you if you wish."

My shock to that information must have been very obvious in my face for he smiled as if he was pleased with himself.

"And you have the power to order someone out to do that? Aren't you just a carrier?" His smile grew wider and I just knew there was something else swirling in that twisted mind of his.

"_Da_ Francis, I have the power to do that, and so do you."

"_QUOI_?" What on earth was he talking about? I was a no one in the mob hierarchy? I was just a body disposer, a butcher, a monster that was kept chained away in the shadows.

"You really have no interest in our family do you Francis. I am higher up then you give me credit for. But are you even aware of yourself? Of the power you have? Of what people call you?" Ivan took a sip of the wine, his smile was back to being the creepy blood chilling smile I had always seen. The child inside him was gone, the mobster, or better yet, the monster was the one talking to me now.

"No I don't, and nor to I want to know. I was forced into this life Ivan, remember? I simply wish to end my services and be released to have my normal life back." I took a deep gulp from my wine. I was suddenly sacred of myself. Had I really such power in the mob? Wasn't he just toying with me for some reason? There was no way a man like me, that had avoided relating and dealing with them for so long could have an influence on anything that they did. I was just someone that got rid of the evidence of their gruesome crimes.

"Do you even remember your life before Francis?" Ivan placed his almost full glass of wine on the stand beside the couch and creped to sit closer to me. "Do you remember what it was like to live away from the mob?"

"Of course I remember. It was not that long ago. Besides, don't you?"

"Not really. I was working for them since I was eight. So I wouldn't know what it is like to have a life away from it."

My stomach dropped. Eight? He had been with the mobsters since he was a child? How on earth did someone get involved with that kind of people at such a tender age? Unless…

"Your family was already part of the mob wasn't it?" That was it. It had to be. And yet with his smiled I knew it was not the case.

"No. I told you before didn't I Francis, my sisters are not in the mob. Yekaterina, my eldest sister, works on an organic products farm. Natalia, my younger sister, is a decorator at a wedding events firm. Neither of them are associated to the mob in any way."

"What about your parents? No one gets involved with the mob at eight?"

Ivan shrugged. "I was told my father was a common businessman and my mother worked as a hair dresser. But I don't recall them for they passed away when I was four. Kat practically raised Natalia and I alone."

I felt sad hearing someone had to have such a harsh beginning in life. "_Je suis désolé_. I am sorry to hear that."

"It is ok, I was a long time ago, and Kat says she was very happy raising us. What about you? How was your family?" Something of the child had come back. I guess that having talked about his sister's had improved his mood and attitude somehow.

"Isn't that written on my file?" It was just a tease, and the pout Ivan gave me sure confirmed that I was talking to his childish self again for now.

"My father also worked as a common businessman, my mother worked as a fashion designer. My Father passed away when I went to college, and my mother passed away two years ago. My younger sister Marianne, whom I know you are aware about, is a lawyer and married to a Scotsman she meet when she went backpacking in the British islands." I sipped more wine, Ivan seemed to prefer to ignore the wine I had poured out for him.

"Are you close to your sister?" I wasn't sure if I really should keep talking about my family with him, but seeing as he was the child and not the monster for now, my more emotional side said it would be harmless to entertain him some more.

"I was closer to her when we where younger, as we grew we started drifting apart. But I still love her, even when she calls me only to nag about the fact that I am still single and that I never visit."

"She seems like a nice person." Ivan had a warm sort of smile. Perhaps he really did love his sisters and the subject was a nice one for him. I was happy myself, I loved to talk about my sister too. And seeing Ivan with such a nice smile warmed me up somehow.

"She is, and she is the most beautiful women in the world, I personally guarantee it. But she will kick your ass if you get her mad. I remember one time she slapped me so hard my cheek was red for a week."

"Why did she do that for?"

I shrugged. "I failed as a big brother to prevent her from stripping from all here clothes when she got wasted at a party once. But in my defense, I was very wasted myself and had started stripping along with her."

Ivan stared at me in doubt. "You didn't?"

I smirked. "Oh but I did. And I have a load of photos to prove it. But that was nothing compared to what we did when we travel to Spain."


	9. Chapter 9

I hate the bus. They are always crowded with annoying old ladies and loud teenagers and they always smelled like piss. I could swear the brat that seated besides me tried to steal my wallet. At least, if the weather channel is right and there is no rain, I will be able to go back home riding my motorcycle at night and I will not have to take a step inside one of these damn things again for a very long time. Public transportation still had a long way to go in my opinion. The bus was finally at my stop and I gladly left that hellish thing. I still had too walk about four block to get to the bakery but I would have gladly walked the entire way rather then ride the bus if I could.

I placed my keys on the lock to open up the bakery and a cold dreadful feeling set into my stomach. The bakery was unlocked. But that was not possible, I had locked the bakery yesterday before leaving with Ivan. I was sure I had locked it. I slowly opened the door, hearing the bell chime and echo through out the bakery. Everything seemed in order, yet the uneasiness was set on me and I desperately wanted to have something on my person to defend myself if I was jumped. I walked slowly, taking each step carefully and looking around me, trying to locate the origin of my alert.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, I should call Arthur and Alfred to come check the bakery out for me instead of maybe risking my life surprising a burglar. But then I had a flash of Ivan, or maybe the mob being the ones inside, and if that was the case then it was much better that I found out about it rather then them. Yet my mind kept saying that it couldn't be Ivan because he had left my apartment yesterday happy as a child after we had spent the evening talking about our sisters, and there was no reason for him to come searching for me again so soon. But then again I was sure he was mad, so maybe it made sense to him to come at five in the morning to the bakery just to creep me out.

But it could be the mob, they could have sent someone else to do whatever dirty job they wanted from me. They rarely sent anyone else besides Ivan, but it had happened before, and if that was the case, then I was fucked up for good this time. A different messenger had always been a bad sign.

Suddenly there was a soft sound. I whipped my head to the direction of the kitchen, from where I was sure the sound came from, as my heart started to rage inside my chest. Cold sweat dripped from the base of my neck. A robber would have headed to the office in hopes to find money, not the kitchen. So that left me with my mob theory. With trembling hands I grabbed the door handle for the kitchen, and slowly opened it, trying to take a peek in the interior of my kitchen and see exactly how screwed I was.

The kitchen seemed empty and as I completely opened the door, I could not locate the reason for the sound I had heard earlier. Some of the appliances where up and running, emitting a soft humming sound that always accompanied the kitchen, and that was odd. What kind of mobster would break into my kitchen to bake? The adrenaline rush was not helping my worries as I remained baffled as to what on earth was happening when something cold hit my back and I screamed like a banshee and jumped to the counter, grabbing a spatula and waving it ahead of me as if it would protect me. Only after realizing that a scream had echoed mine and that Matthew was now sprawled on the kitchen floor with a tray of crushed pies next to him, his headphones still blasting some sort of corny pop music.

"Matthew, never EVER, do that to me again." I dropped the spatula to grab my chest in the attempt to calm my speeding heart. I was having way too many heart stopping moments lately for it to be healthy. Matthew started to stand up.

"I…I'm sorry Francis, I…I didn't hear you coming in, and…I wasn't looking when…" I never let him finished because my arms wrapped around him too fast and I pulled him into the strongest hug I could muster at the moment.

I had missed him too much, more then I had realized I had missed him. He wrapped his arms around me and suddenly I felt complete. His embrace was warm and comfortable I wished I could never let him go again. He fitted perfectly into my arms just as I had somehow fitted perfectly into his. It was bliss to be held like that by him. It was all I wanted and needed.

"_Mon chou _since when have you been taller then me?" He laughed, such a soft warm and cozy laughter.

"It's been a while now, don't really remember since when." He softly pulled away, but never releasing me from his arms. He looked so wonderful, so pure and happy. Everything beautiful in him had been enhanced with his absence. His soft strawberry blond hair, his sweet violet eyes, his pale skin touched by the slightest of blushes. He was perfect. Everything I would have ever wanted.

And then it hit me, he loved me. _Mon dieu_ how could I have forgotten that. And here was I hugging him like a long lost lover recently found again. I couldn't do this to him, I had to control myself. The pain in my chest as I pulled away from his arms was physical. Everything in me complained about being separated from that perfect spot in his arms. He was reluctant to release me as well, silently telling me he was not over whatever feeling he had for me yet and I just wanted to wrap him back into my arms. Yet I forced myself to turn away and kneel beside the spilled tray to begin cleaning up holding myself back.

"Since when do you arrive before me to bake pies?" I herd a sigh behind me and then Matthew was knelling besides me also cleaning up.

"I wanted to somehow compensate the fact that I missed so many days of work. I was trying to make your special meat pies." My stomach did a weird flip inside my body and I froze for a second. Luckily Matthew was oblivious to it and kept on. "But none of the recipes I used tuned out like yours. I was hoping this batch was going to work, but I'll never know now."

"You shouldn't have. And how would you even know how my meat pie tastes like?" My hands were sweaty, and I was sure I had started to shake, yet I wanted to seem normal and casual. He couldn't have eaten one of those disgusting things could he? I was always so sure they had never lasted long enough for one of my children or friends to taste those awful things.

"I have a piece from time to time. They are very good." My stomach turned. I was going to be sick. He had eaten them. "Chells and Mona also like them a lot. They once saved an entire pie by Arthur's request, apparently he loves them but he said he would never dare to say that to your face. Alfred is also always whining because I didn't manage to save a piece for him." Matthew laughed softly, yet I was growing sicker.

The mere thought of my children, my precious children, eating those awful things had always terrified me. And Matthew was now not only complimenting them but saying how all of them had eaten those things behind my back and enjoyed it. Honestly, I should have been able to contain myself better but I didn't manage to hold back the urge to vomit. In a second I was standing up and rushing to the sink to relieve myself. The feeling of failure over powering me, I had failed to protect them, had failed to prevent it from happening, had failed to warn them, I had failed all of them.

Matthew's hands where then pulling my hair back as I retched my insides once more into the sink. One of his hands went to my back to rub soft circular motion as the other hand kept holding back my hair.

"Are you ok?" The concern on his voice felt so sincere. I couldn't handle it. I broke down in tears as I left my body slump to the floor. I didn't deserve his concern, I didn't deserve his love or his company. I was a sick monster the corrupted everything he touched. I was a liar and a sinner, undeserving of the precious angel Matthew was.

"Francis?" Matthew's bright eyes were in front of me, concern and hurt in his face. "Francis is everything ok?"

My hands flew up him, grabbing his collar pulling him down to me. "Matthew swear to me you will not touch those again!" My voice was broken and angry. I must have looked like a mad man with my face covered in tears, making odd demands after just having a break down. Yet I couldn't let him keep on eating those things. I couldn't let my angels corrupt themselves even further. "Swear to me Matthew! You and everybody else! You will not eat those pies!"

"Ok, ok. I swear Francis, I will not eat the meat pies again." Matthew looked terrified. I couldn't believe I had just yelled at him like that. _Mon dieu_ what was I turning into.

"I'm sorry. _Pardon mon chou, pardon, je suis désolé_. I didn't mean to yell." I released my hands from him to pull my hair back, dropping my head to my knees. "I don't seem to be myself today." I was truly becoming mad.

"It's ok Francis." I felt Matthew's arms around me, pulling me closer, and I let myself fall into them. His embrace was warm and comforting, making me fell safe for the first time in a long time. How I despised myself. I was taking advantage of him, I was misguiding him, cheating him. And yet the selfish part of me didn't care, I just wanted to be in his embrace forever.

He held me like that for a while. Rocking me softly and letting my tears dry. And then he slowly pulled apart, wiping the last of my tears away. "Are you feeling better now?"

"_Oui mon chou_. I feel better now, forgive me." Matthew helped me stand up again and I washed my face. And then we resumed cleaning the fallen pies in silence.

We finished cleaning just in time for the girls to arrive and cheerfully welcome back Matthew. They were all happy now and we opened the shop for business like usual. During the day I pulled Chells and Mona aside for a few moments to ask them to also stop eating the meat pies and that they were forbidden to sell it to Alfred and Arthur, they were reluctant but they promised me they would do as I wished. I sent messages to Alfred and Arthur after that and was delighted to read Arthur's fury about my meat pie boycott. Alfred tried to plea his way out of it but soon realized I was not changing my mind.

Matthew didn't mention my breakdown during the day and I was fairly relieved for it. I was slightly embarrassed for having broken down two days in a row. My emotions were already a turmoil as it was, yet it seemed that I needed a different type of escape valve besides breaking into tears. Perhaps it was the stress of leading a double life that was finally getting me to my limit.

And soon enough the day was finally over and we were closing up the shop. Mona and Chells left together like usual. I kissed them and waved my goodbyes as they headed to the subway. I was looking forwards to getting my motorcycle and heading home myself, but then I realized Matthew was still inside the shop with me. Yet he was not getting ready to leave as I had expected. He was instead standing in the middle of the shop, as if he was waiting for something, while he kept fumbling with the hem of his hoodie.

"Mathew, is anything the matter?"

"Uh…yea, Francis, are you feeling better?" He is such a sweet boy.

"Yes Matthew, I am better now. I am sorry for my behavior this morning."

He looked at me and took a deep sigh as to gather courage. "A…Actually Francis, I was hoping we could talk."

Cold stones settled in my guts. _Merde_. "_Oui_? What is it?"

"Well Francis, you see, I…I've been meaning to, well, see, I…I was thinking… And Alfred… well, he was… kind of… suggesting it, and…and I want us to try to go on a date."

My mind had frozen. I kept staring at him wide eyed unbelieving. He had just seen me break down this very morning and he still wanted to go out on a date? He had to be kidding right? In took a moment to remember how to speak. "Matthew, _mon chou_, I…I…" I couldn't do it. My mouth refused to finish my sentence. There was no way I could reject my precious angel and see him hurt.

"Please Francis, just give me one chance." The look he had on his face. If I had remained looking into his pleading face I was sure I would have done whatever he wanted. I turned my face away from him as quickly as I could.

"Please, just one chance to prove myself to you. And if it doesn't work out I promise not to insist. Please Francis."

I could feel my heart breaking apart. "Mathew, you don't understand. I would love to. But…"

Before I could even finish my sentence I felt him pulling me to him, wrapping his arms around me, laying his head on my shoulder. "Please." He whispered into my ear.

I lost all my self control. My arms had moved on their own returning his embrace, and my lips had somehow found his before I had even realized what was happening. His kiss was sweet, gentle and tasted like maple syrup. My mind went blank when Matthew not only responded to the kiss, but attempted to deepen it by pulling me even closer to him, nearly crushing my body into his. It felt so perfect, so nice and easy. And soon enough the kiss turned into a need, I needed him just as much as he needed me. Our hands were intertwined with our hairs, pulling our faces closer and deeper into the kiss. Matthew's weight was pushing me back and I was stumbling to lean on the counter. And once the danger of falling was ruled out, our hands began to roam over each other, pulling the other even closer.

The need for air finally became greater then our need for each other's lips, but we parted reluctantly and with a whimper. Matthew's lips where swollen and bruised red, looking even more kissable for me, much like I imagined mine where looking to him. My angel's eyes were hazy in obvious lust.

"I'll take that as a yes." He whispered in a husky tone, and my world suddenly crashed.

"_Non_! Matthew, no. We can't." _Sacrebleu_ what had I done? "Matthew I can't."

"What? Why?" Oh, the hurt in his voice, his features went from desire to despair in a flash. "Francis you can't just kiss a guy like that and shove him off the second you stop." I hated myself.

"No Matthew you don't understand. I love you. But they can't know." _Merde_ what was I doing? "They can't know about you." Shut up Francis! Shut up! "I don't want to lose you too_._" _T__ais-toi_!

"Francis?" Matthew shook me. His hands where firmly placed on my arms. "Francis what are you talking about?"

I loved Matthew. But by loving him I would forever put him in danger. "It has to be a secret." I had definitely gone mad. "No one must know. Neither Mona, Chells, nor Arthur, not even your brother. No one must know."

I was sure Matthew would realize his mistake, consider me mad and turn his back on me. But he simply lowered his lips into mine, kissing me kindly. "I'll do it. It will be our secret. If that is what it takes to be with you I'll do it."

I nearly cried again when I pulled him into a hug. He kissed me once more and I just let myself go into those sweet perfect lips. They wouldn't find out about my angel, I wouldn't let them figure it out. This time I would protect the one I loved before they did anything. This time, I would not be helpless. This time we would be safe.


	10. Chapter 10

It was wrong. It had to be wrong. But I just couldn't stop smiling and acting giddy to save myself. I hadn't felt such sort of happiness in years and even if people like me didn't deserve to feel this happy, I was practically skipping thru the bakery this morning. I would have broken into song and started dancing if anyone had asked me to, such where the joyous feeling I had inside me. Finally, after all this time, the cold feeling in my stomach meant something good. I just couldn't wait for Matthew to arrive so I could have him in my arms again, to be able to kiss him and hold him close. To speak sweet nothings into his ears and lose myself into his eyes. I wanted to show him my love the best way I knew how and spoil him for any other lover that could come after me. I wanted him to be mine and only mine, even if it was only for a few moments before the girls arrived for work.

The second I heard the bell ringing my heart started speeding up in anticipation. Oh I hoped it was my sweet angel coming in. And when his golden locks poked themselves inside the kitchen and I finally got to see again those lovely eyes I could have passed out from pure joy. He was just too perfect, his morning smile alone could have finished me off. And yet he came over to hold be close and press his maple sweet lips against mine and I melted right away into his arms.

"_Bonjour _Francis." Oh his soft voice was like an angel's whisper.

"_Bonjour mon chou_." I pulled him back to my lips. There was no way I could get enough of him. I wanted him with me for the rest of my life. So it was with a lot of reluctance that I parted from him a second time.

"Are Alfred and Arthur in the front?" I really hoped not. Because then it meant I could spend our first morning as a couple kissing him senseless.

But the why he sighed and lowered his head told me all I really had to know. "Yes, they are."

"And did you tell them?" Not that I didn't trust my sweet angel, but I really had to make sure. It was for his own safety that all of this had to remain a secret.

"No. They don't know." I pecked his lips.

"_Bon_. Now, let's go deal with them quickly so we can have some time for ourselves before the girls come in." Oh the way he blushed was so sweet. I squeezed his hand reassuringly before I released it to walk to the front part of the store.

"_Bonjour mes ami_. How may I be of service for you today?"

We began our morning routine as usual. Alfred started ordering huge amounts of food while Arthur complained and I teased him mercilessly. Nothing felt out of the ordinary yet I was so happy the entire thing seemed like an entirely different experience. Everything just seemed more alive as I gathered enough sweets to give five people diabetes for Alfred and watched Arthur turning redder by the minute. It seemed as I had finally started living again. Thinking back about it, I really haven't truly felt alive since Antonio and Gilbert's disappearance. And now, thanks to my angel, I was perhaps finally recovering from it.

As soon as Arthur and Alfred went out the door, I was back inside the kitchen with Matthew in my arms until we heard the bell announcing the arrival of Mona and Chells into the shop. As brief as it was, it had been a perfect morning alone with my sweet angel. We opened up normally, and Matthew and I were acting just as we did before. I believe the girls never noticed how thru out the day, Matthew and I would share the most discreet of touches and glances. Every time his hands connected with mine, my heart would flutter happily and my smile would grow wider in pleasure, thought I had been smiling quite happily all day so they probably never noticed it actually grew wider when near Matthew.

It was only in the middle of the afternoon that this perfect day went sour. I had been inside baking with Matthew beside me, our hips and shoulders discreetly touching, when Mona opened the door calling for me.

"_Oui ma cherie_? What is it?" I was fast at taking a step away from Matthew just in case.

"Francis, there is an officer in the store wanting to speak with you." Cold stones were set into my guts. What was this about? If it had been Alfred or Arthur she would have used their names right? Calling whoever was outside an officer meant it was someone she didn't know. Had something gone wrong? Had they figured it out?

I walked out to the front of the store. A blond man in a police uniform was casually talking to Chells. Medium high with a medium built. Chells saw me and pointed me out. He turned and I could see he had green eyes behind a wire framed glasses that were similar to Alfred and Matthew's glasses. He thanked her and walked towards me. As unimpressive and as un-intimidating as he was, I was holding myself from shaking in fear. That blue uniform was all someone needed to make me tremble. And then he finally was in front of me and held out his hand.

"Mr. Bonnefoy. My name is Eduard Von Bock. I have some issues I would like to discuss with you in private if possible." I took his hand politely. _Mon Dieu_ someone save me please. I was going to faint.

"Of course, why don't we go to my office to talk?" I dearly hoped my voice didn't come out weird. It was becoming hard enough to keep a normal face.

I guided him to my office and closed the door. I went ahead and sat at the desk, my legs couldn't handle my weight for now, and if this cop turned out to question about the wrong thing I would probably break. "Please, take a seat."

"Thank you." He took the seat in front of me. "Before we begin Mr. Bonnefoy, I would just like to ask, do you use Russian meat into your pies?" My heart stopped. _Merde_.

"No, my meat comes from _inostranets_." Please, oh please, don't say the next part.

"I understand, all for the _sem__ʹ__ya_. _Da_?" Well fuck. I was dealing with a Russian mobster.

"_Da_." I hated speaking Russian. I hated that I had to memorize this stupid script. I hated dealing with the family. I would much rather deal with a cop then deal with the mob.

"I have to be honest , I was not expecting someone like you." Oh I loathed the man now. Damn monster attempting to look proper and respectful. My hand itched for a blade from my vault so I could slice him up like he deserved.

"And I was not expecting someone such as you to be wearing such uniforms." I was practically spiting the words out. It was very hard to be respectful without sounding sarcastic when I dealt with them. So I had long opted not to try to sound respectful, I believed most of them just thought my hate was amusing.

"I understand the confusion. I am what you would call a snitch. Usually I deal with the control of information leaked to the police departments. Just so it looks like they are heading forwards with their investigations, and to warn the family if anything unpredicted happens. I am actually here today on request of Mr. Braginski." That name sounded familiar. Wasn't that Ivan's last name?

"You mean Ivan?" What the hell was that mad man doing this time?

"Ah…Yes. I am here on Ivan Braginski's behalf. As he headed back to Russia for the succession ceremony this morning, he left me in charge of informing you if anything concerning your request occurred." Wait? What? Ivan had gone to Russia? And what the hell was this request?

"What request? I haven't asked for anything?" What on earth was happening?

Eduard, for some reason, seemed to grow a bit anxious. He adjusted his glasses and shifted a bit before answering me. "Did you not request your men to search for the thief that foolishly robbed you?" I groaned. Damn Ivan.

"No I did not. But as you are here, I assume something happened." I was going to have a long talk with Ivan about meddling with someone else's private life when he came back. Sure it must have meant to be a nice gesture, but it was something I did not want to be responsible for.

"Ah… yes. Your men where able to locate and apprehend the thief, and they wanted to know what it was to be done with him. One of them, Mathias, I believe, had some very, enthusiastic ideas."

I sighed. "Have them take the thief to the police and let them handle him. I wish to take no part of this." Since when had I any men under my control? I bet that was part of whatever Ivan had planned. I really was going to need to have a talk with him. "Is this all?" I hoped it was.

"There is one more matter I would like to address. When the new boss returns, a party is to be hosted as a mean to renewal the family bonds to the new boss. I was told to remind you that your presence is mandatory for this specific gathering, as you have not gone to any of the gathering so far. An invitation will be delivered to you when the time comes." I glared at him.

"And if I still refuse?" Like hell would I be going to a mob gathering to renew my contract with those monsters. If anything I would find a way to terminate it.

"The consequences of such actions will be for the new boss to decide. But I believe they will not be of any pleasant nature. That is all. Have a good day." He rose himself from the seat and tipped his cap.

As I watched him leave I slumped back into my chair. _Dieu_ I loathed dealing with them. I had completely forgotten that the old boss had passed away. Who ever this new boss was going to be I could bet it wouldn't be any better. He was probably going to be a sick sadistic bastard just like the old one. And I was going to have to meet the man this time. My eyes wondered to the vault. I knew my blades would be sitting inside, one clean slash and I would never have to deal with them again. One clean cut and I would never have to meet the new boss and be forced to keep up with this miserable life. No more threats, no more worries, no more hiding and lying.

My hand was practically over the vault's handle when I heard the soft knocking on my door. "Francis? Is everything ok?"

Matthew, my sweet angel, how could I think of leaving him behind? "_Oui mon chou_. You may come in, everything is fine."

He walked inside and closed the door behind him. He walked closer to me and I pulled him into my lap. Everything felt so much better with his arms wrapping around me and my face hidden into his chest. "What did that cop want Francis?" His hand was stoking my hair softly, and I sighed with pleasure.

"Nothing _mon petite_, he just wanted to inform me on the theft report I did a while ago." That was half true anyway.

"Oh. Well, then you are still open to go on a date with me tonight after work?" I love this boy. I love him with all that is left of my sorry miserable heart.

"_Oui mon cher_, I am. Do you know what you want to do yet?" I pulled away a bit just so I could see his blushing face. My hands wrapped around his and I started to kiss his knuckles lovingly. He was just too precious for me, too perfect.

"Ah… well… there is this café. It's small and pretty much unknown, but it's nice and… since we are being discreet… I thought we could, maybe go there. I'm pretty sure no one we know goes there anyway, so." He blushed more, and I felt like he couldn't be more perfect.

"That sounds wonderful. We will go there once the shop is closed then." I pecked his lips to end the subject.

We stood up and went back to work, but all thru the rest of the day I couldn't get myself to be as happy as I had been this morning. Now every time I glanced at Matthew I began to worry. I shouldn't have believed I could keep him safe that easily. I was putting him in danger just because of who I was, what would happen to him if I slipped something out? Would the mere knowledge of what I did behind his back put him in danger? Would he reject me if he knew? Would he turn me in? I remember that the family's rules about being discovered where very clear in that sense, you either forced them to join or killed them. And yet I could never do any of those to him. I would never damn him to the miserable life of the mob or be able to harm him.

We closed the shop as usual and I kissed my girls good night. Matthew had left before them, we would go to the café separately to help not raise suspicion. When the entire shop was locked, I walked to my motorcycle to head to the café. According to Matthew's note with the address, the café was a bit far but simple to find. During the way there, I did my best to push any troublesome thought away, this was suppose to be my first date with Matthew, I had to put my head into thinking of him and only him.

It turned out the café was underground. A chalk sing announcing that the dish of the day was tomato soup was in front of the stairs that leaded to the place. The inside was actually quite charming, books and posters where scattered around the walls, there was a rainbow flag hanging in one of the walls announcing the gay friendly environment, some nice contemporary jazz was playing on the back ground and there was a medium size stage on one of the corners next to the bar. All in all, it looked like a nice place for college students to hang out. I ended up walking straight to a table hidden behind some potted plants.

A perky brunette in a green dress and a pink flower in her hair came to stand next to me. "Good evening. My name is Elizaveta and I am the owner and your waitress tonight. Can I get you something?"

"_Bonsoir_, two glasses of wine and some water please _ma belle_." I smiled charmingly at her. She blushed a bit, smiled and scribbled down on her note pad.

"Expecting someone?" She gave a mischievous look at my direction.

I hesitated for half a second to consider if I should keep flirting with her or not. No, it was better that this night remained about Matthew and only him. "_Oui_, I am."

"I see. Well, if he doesn't show up, I'm sure we can find someone for you to spend your evening with." She smiled at me and left.

I kept glancing around the walls waiting for Matthew to arrive. Somehow I could clearly see him coming to this place on his days off or to hang out with some friends. A few tables had people around them, a couple in one corner, some friends laughing and talking on the other. It was a very nice place indeed.

"Francis?" I heard Matthew calling me and turned my head. He saw me and came over to grace his lips upon mine. Such perfect lips that he had.

He sat next to me and held my hand close. "Do you like it here?"

"I loved it here, very like you _mon chou_." I kissed him again and again, until there was a coughing sound coming from next to us. Matthew pulled back completely read faced. He was so adorable I couldn't hold back a small laugh.

"Well, I see your date showed up. Good for you." Elizaveta smiled and placed the wine glasses and water on our table. "I'm terribly sorry for having interrupted but, someone asked me to give this to you." She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her apron and handed it to me. The she turned a finger at Matthew. "If I were you I'd keep a close eye on this one, not even twenty minutes since he walked in and they already pay his bill and make me deliver notes." And then she turned away and left.

Matthew placed his head on my shoulder. "Please tell my I don't have to worry about you getting swooped away from me." He mumbled. I would have laughed and taken his worries away. I would have proclaimed my love for him this second on that stage. But I couldn't. I couldn't take my eyes away from the note I had been handed.

"Francis?" Matthew lifted his head and looked at the note I was so intensely staring at. "Is everything ok? Who is it from?"

"A ghost." I whispered, for there was no way that the signature so eloquently done and the cute tomato drawing on the corner of the note could actually belong to my beloved missing friend Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hola Francis! _

_(I hope it really is you, if not, sorry for this odd note stranger)_

_Francis, please don't try to search for us yet amigo. I know you will want to after reading this but we still don't know if it's safe for Gil. We will come to you when the time is right. _

_How have you been amigo? I hope you don't feel lonely without us. Has Arthur been keeping you company? Gil and I sure have missed you these past years. Ludwig had to restrain Gil inside the hide-out quite a few times just to prevent him from going after you. (Since originally you were supposed to have come with us, he insisted that someone had to go after you too to keep you safe. Ludwig had a hard time trying to convince him that you would be ok.) He sure will be happy to know from you after all this time. _

_Ok, I have to end this note quickly, Lovi is coming back and he thinks it's too dangerous to contact you yet. Oh yea, Lovi is my boyfriend, he is helping us out and he is so cute! I bet you would like him. I hope you two can meet someday._

_Muchos besos, _

_Antonio Fernandez Carriedo_

I read it once more. How many times had I read this note already? Twenty? Thirty times? Every time I read it I felt something sting inside my chest and yet I refused to let go of it. Antonio, my precious Antonio, my dear friend Antonio had been at the same place as me and I had not seen him. I had not recognized him. And yet he had seen me. He had blessed me with this note, this tiny piece of information that guaranteed me that they were safe, that they had escaped and that they still remembered me. But at the same time this tiny blessing cursed me to remember that I was trapped in hell. That I would not be able too see my dear friends for yet a long time. How long would it take for them to come back for me? How long would I have to wait? Would they even want me back after all these years? After All I had done? Would we still be able to be like we were before?

I felt the bed shifting under me and then arms wrapping around me, Matthew's soft kisses on the back of my neck. "Reading in the dark is bad for your eyes."

"Forgive me _mon chou_. I didn't mean to wake you." I shifted my body around to kiss him. His lips easily found mine and I felt the tension of my body dissolving away with his sweetness. He took the chance to pull me from the edge of the bed where I sat back to the middle of the bed, pressing our naked bodies together firmly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked with his whispering voice. His hand softly stroking my hair as I laid down over his chest.

No, I did not want to talk about this with him. It would be unfair to him. One day perhaps I would tell him everything, one day I would explain why I was so unworthy of his love and kindness. But I was still too selfish and too emotionally weak to do that now. So I remained quite, letting the hand stroking my head to easy my problems away for now.

We remained quite, listening each others soft breathing. Matthew was the one to once again break the comforting silence. "I'm sorry Francis."

I shifted my weight to look up to him. "What are you sorry for _mon cher_?" Why would he be sorry? What had he to be sorry for? If anything I should be the one begging for forgiveness.

"It's just… I…I feel like I took advantage of you." He took a deep breath while his arms wrapped themselves more strongly around me. "If it had been me, I would probably have read the note the second it was given to me. But you tucked it in your pocket and pretended like nothing had happened. I would have understood if you had asked to reschedule. Yet you insisted that we went along with our date. And when I insisted to accompany you back to your place, just to make sure you would be ok, you didn't brush me off." He took another deep breath. "I kind of realized by then that you would let me get away with anything tonight. And I feel like I took advantage of that."

I smiled back as I kissed him for that. Such a sweet innocent angel, feeling guilty for sins he had not committed. I had been the one that hadn't wanted to come back and sleep alone tonight. I had been the one that had tempted him until he couldn't hold himself back. It had been my fault that he had fallen, my poor, sweet, angelical boy, my adorable and innocent Matthew. I had tricked and seduced him for my own gain and he had not even realized that.

When I pulled away from the kiss, Matthew's cheeks where flushed red and he was panting for breath. I could feel his erection growing hard against my thigh. I didn't hesitate when I pulled him back atop me. Moving my hands against his skin in a way I knew would incite him even more. The way he whispered my name against my ear as he started to ask for more, to ask for control, was all I needed to give myself to him once again, to lose myself in his need and lust, to forget myself and the world around me, to let myself go blank.

I let myself go as he hastily filled me with his heat. Chanted his name as a mantra with each thrust, moaned and screamed for him to love me faster, love me harder, clung on to him as if my life depended on him. He would moan my name, tangle his fingers with mine, and suck on my neck as his thrust became faster and rougher. He was doing everything I wanted, everything I needed. And as I arched up my back with white in my vision screaming his name to the night, he kept on thrusting wildly, moaning my name, confessing his love for me, and worshiping me, until he finally collapsed above me.

We were silent once again. Breathing heavily, stinking of sweat and cum. We did nothing but look into each others eyes, letting the moment erase everything else. We belonged only to each other now, free of past and future, just us, these where the moments I had always loved best, when everything felt perfect and nothing else matters.

But of course these moments where always scarce and easily broken, such was the case when my angel's phone started ringing some superhero's theme song.

Matthew grumbled annoyed as he started to rise from the bed and go search for his phone in the middle of the discarded clothes on the floor. I was quite satisfied remaining where I was watching him bend over to search for the phone. It was quite a view if I could say so myself. And when Matthew triumphantly came back with his phone in hand, he sat at the edge of the bed, close enough to me so he could still stretch his arm to stoke my hair.

"Yes." Matthew's voice was so curious when he was annoyed. I pulled myself up just enough to crawl to him and lay my head on his lap. His hand kept stoking my head softly. I loved feeling as if I was being spoiled by him.

"No Alfred I was not kidnapped by a super villain. I'm fine." I smiled listening to him. Alfred was just too adorable being protective of my angel.

"No Al, I told you I had a date tonight." I look up to Matthew just in time to see him flushing and silently wording for me that he had not told him with who this date was. I was also very amused to see Matthew turn into a brighter shade of red by whatever Alfred said afterwards.

"That is none of your business." Alfred must have been speaking some very embarrassing things for Matthew to be turning into that kind of red. I had to contain my sniggering just to prevent from flustering him more. He was just too cute.

Matthew took a peek at me and flushed brighter. "Fine! Twice! And I topped both. Can you please stop talking like that now?" Oh I had to give some credit to Alfred's interrogation skills. Apparently he had picked up something useful with Arthur's teaching.

"I don't know Al. I'll probably pass by in the morning. Ok, bye." Matthew shut his phone off and slumped back into the bed. I smiled and crawled back on top of him, softly kissing him as I made my way up to kiss his lips again.

"_Allez mon chou_, lets go back to sleep." Matthew's smiled glowed back at me.

"_Oui_." So we cuddled up again under the blankets, Matthew's head safely tucked under my chin and our arms wrapped around each other. I was being lulled to sleep by his warmth and soft breathing, feeling somehow safer having him besides me after all that had happened today. Matthew's bright presence was chasing away the shadows of my nightmares and fears. He was my angel, my shinning star, my love.

I was nearly asleep when I heard Matthew softly whisper my name. "_Oui_?" I wrapped myself tighter to his body on instinct. "What is it _mon chou_?"

"Will you ever tell me what you keep on hiding someday?" My heart clenched and I think he felt the way I flinched away. Yet I tried to ease myself before speaking again. I didn't want him to keep on thinking about that.

"I'm not hiding anything _mon cher_, you don't need to worry about something like that." I kissed the top of his head, hoping that the subject was done with. Sadly he wasn't done with it yet.

"You're not such a good liar as you think you are Francis. People with nothing to hide don't have odd phone calls at the end of the day that keeps them awake all night, or suspicious people visiting them at odd hours. They don't panic at random things we casually tell them or demand odd promises from us." He took a deep breath as I did my best to refrain from shaking him off in anger. It wasn't his fault, it was mine, but he was leading this conversation to a place where I wouldn't be able to answer him.

"Where are you going with this?" I might have sounded angrier then I wanted to. But if too many questions where to be asked I would have to end this before we took it too far.

"Arthur said you changed since your friends disappeared. He won't give me the details but he said you are not the man you used to be. I…I've never met that Francis, and he is not the man I fell in love with, but…But I still worry about it. I just want to be there for you Francis." He drew closer to me, and I lifted one of my hands to stoke his hair. My sweet innocent angel, trying to save a life already condemned to hell.

"One day Matthew. Maybe one day I'll tell you." We were silent then. The subject was finally dropped and I went back to trying to fall asleep with Matthew around my arms.

_I knew it was a dream. Yet, I also knew that I couldn't stop dreaming it. I was running to Gilbert's apartment in panic. I had just left the hospital where Antonio had been recovering from the shooting, the nurse saying that some angry Italian man with a weird curl coming out of his head had forced the doctors to release Antonio early and had took him away. I needed to find Gilbert. He would help me find Antonio and we would save him. It was Gil's fault that Tony had been shot at the first place. Gilbert would know how to solve this mess. _

_I didn't want to arrive at the door. But the dream kept going on against my will. I was finally facing his apartment and my heart clenched. The door was smashed open. Broken pieces of wood littered the floor. I pushed what was left of the door open. The apartment had been torn upside down. I would have laughed myself off thinking of how Ludwig would react when he saw it, the neat freak would surely have a heart attack. But I needed to find Gilbert. I didn't know what was going on, all I knew was that it had been Gilberts fault, that he was the only one to know how to fix this._

_I yelled "Gilbert". No answer came back from the torn apartment. I walked inside to search for him, for anyone. I ran from room to room, screaming for help, for anyone. And then I walked into Gil's room. Scent of blood was everywhere. The room, like all the other chambers of the apartment, had been torn upside down. But I could see next to the open window, the spatters of blood and bullet holes._

_I walked slowly to the window. Fearing each step I took. When I was finally next to the window I looked outside. The fire escape was dotted with little spatters of blood all the way down to the street. Tire marks where burnt into the concrete of the alley next to Gilbert's apartment. And that's when my heart finally sank and I lost the ability to stand._

_Something had happened to them. Someone had been after them and took them away. I needed to find someone, find help. And then Arthur's memory popped up into my head. Yes, I needed to call Arthur. Arthur was a police officer, he would know what to do. My hands trembled as they dug thru my pockets to search for my phone. But I never managed to find it, everything turned black all of the sudden and I couldn't move._

_I had hoped the dream had ended, that I would wake up. But then the voices came, weird voices that spoke in a language I didn't understand. And there was music somewhere. Fast beating club music was at the background. The voices seemed to be arguing, to be yelling at each other. I tried to open my eyes to see but everything kept black. I tried moving then, but something was holding me back. I spoke up. And then the voices turned quiet. Someone came over to me and uncovered my face. My eyes hurt from the sudden brightness._

"_Where is the albino?" Was the first thing they asked. They had an odd accent I didn't recognize. A light was pointed straight to my face blinding me and I finally recognized I had been tied up to a chair._

"_Where am I?" I asked. One of them punched me hard. Even in the dream I felt the blood flowing to my mouth._

"_We ask the questions. Now, where is the albino named Gilbert Beilschmidt." I didn't know how to answer that so I kept quiet. They punched me again._

"_Where is Beilschmidt?"_

"_I don't know" I gasped. I got another punch._

"_Where did Beilschmidt go?" _

"_I don't know" Another punch. I spat blood this time._

"_Where did he run off to? Where is he hiding? Who is helping him?" They kept asking me. And weather I answered of kept quiet they punched me, unsatisfied with my answers. I was half conscious when a different voice spoke up. Speaking in a language I did not understand, the voices started arguing again. _

_I heard the music in the background grow louder and then back, the sound of a door slamming shut. And then a different voice spoke up._

"_Don't worry, I do not wish to hurt you. But understand, your friend just made a lot of dangerous people angry. And we need to find him to settle the debt he left."_

_I stood silent. I knew that, I knew they were after Gilbert. "The Russian mob." I whispered to myself. But he had heard me._

"_Yes. You should understand then that if we don't settle the debt, your friend is going to keep being hunted down until the debt is paid or he is dead." I nodded. _

"_Good, now, unfortunately you seem to know absolutely nothing about your friend's disappearance. Yet, I can not release you just like that. So I am going to offer you a way out."_

"_A way out?" I was scared. _

"_Yes. I am offering you a way out of this where you get to stay alive and even, perhaps, save your friend's life in the process."_

"_What are you suggesting?" I gulped. I was scared, tired, injured, and had just been threatened to death by the mob. Antonio and Gilbert had disappeared right before my eyes and I had nothing else to lose. _

"_How would you feel about working for us?"_


	12. Chapter 12

"No Ivan, trust me on this one. Women hate to get the same gift as one another, especially if it's from someone they care about." I held the phone with my shoulder as I handled Pierre back into his cage. He made a disappointing sound when I closed the door but I'd rather he remained inside his cage as I dressed myself to meet Matthew tonight.

"Are you sure? Even if it's only souvenirs from their brother?" I couldn't see his face on the phone but I easily pictured his slightly pouting expression in confusion by the tone in his voice. It was scary how easily I had become able to imagine it.

"Ivan, diamonds and fur coats are not the usual souvenirs. Get Nathalie the diamond snow flake neckles, earring and bracelet set with the black fur coat and then get Katushca the ruby matryoshka broche with the royal jeweled egg and the white fur coat." Personally I was wondering how on earth Ivan would have the money to pay for such luxury gifts. When he had first called me to ask help on picking souvenir I had expected to help him decide on postcards or little trinkets, not the millions of dollars worth gifts that he had been listing for the past hours.

"I'm still not so sure about this Francis. What if they don't like the gifts?" I had to hold back my sigh. It was kind of cute to hear his voice like that and know that he was probably fussing over his scarf right now. He really was like a child in several ways.

"Ivan, you're their brother, they will love anything you bring back for them. And you have been calling me for the last few days asking for advice on this. Do you not trust my opinion?" I took a peak at my watch to make sure I still had time before I had to get myself dressed. Ivan's phone calls had become much longer since he had gone to Russia.

"I do trust your opinion on this. It's just... Ok, give me a second." Ivan's voice turned away from the phone and I heard him speaking in Russian to someone. There was some sort of positive reply from whoever it was and then Ivan's voice was back on the phone talking to me. "Thank you for all your help Francis. I really appreciate it."

I smiled to myself. "You're welcome Ivan." It was so odd how he was affecting me recently. Somehow it was becoming harder to see him as the Devil and mobster that had tormented me for so many years and not the awkward childish man that he usually was when he was not on duty. It frightened me.

"How about you?" He asked suddenly after.

"What about me?" I was currently distracted placing the outfit I wanted to wear tonight on the bed.

"Would you like a souvenir? I could get you something to thank you for all your help with my sisters' gifts." He chirped in. "I could get you a cookbook with Russians recipes or something. Wouldn't you like that?"

As nice as it sounded, I knew I had to refuse it. "_Non Ivan merci_."

"Are you sure? I don't mind getting something expensive for you if that is what you want, it won't be any trouble." He sounded disappointed.

"No Ivan I am sure." I would feel bad to receive anything from Ivan knowing that is was probably bought up with blood money. Even if he did sound cute and childish I knew already that he was anything but. Gifts were a dangerous way bargain in the underworld, and I had already gotten myself in deep enough trouble with devils and their bargains. "Forgive me but I'll have to go now."

"Please Francis, I insist. I am soon to return and I would like to offer you something, if not a gift maybe knowledge?" My breath hitched. He didn't mean it could he? He couldn't be refereeing to our current bet where my life and freedom was the ultimate prize. That couldn't be the knowledge he was offering me now could it?

"I will take your silence as a positive sign. Da." That tone. That fucked up sick twisted tone of his. The Devil had taken the child's place. It really was about the bet and damn it all he knew he had me and I couldn't say no. I had to sit down just to prevent the potential shakiness of my limbs if he kept on speaking that way.

"As I said before, I joined in young." _Merde_ that voice of his was unsettling me now. "You can imagine that growing up as a child that had nothing; I desperately wanted to have something of my own. There was this old General that lived near our foster home, and he offered me something, something that I desperately wanted and needed, and I could not refuse. In exchange for that I began working for him. Don't be mistaken, he was already a mobster and all the little jobs I ran for him were also related to the underground in one way or another but they were simple things at first, things that any eight year old could do, and as I grew so did the jobs I managed. When I finally became of age, he officially brought me to the family."

My throat was dry in anxiety, yet I had to try. "What did he offered you?" That was the key point. If he told me that I would win the bet and have my freedom.

There was this sick twisted childish giggling on the other end of the phone. "Now Francis, if I told you that I would lose the bet, wouldn't I."

And then I was cut off. The anger that rose inside of me for being played a fool like that was enough for me to smash my phone at the wall in front of me scaring my poor dove, Pierre. Damn that devil, damn that child, damn Ivan for his sick and twisted game and damn myself for going along with it.

One look at the clock and I knew I would have to be angry at myself another time. Matthew was probably already heading this way and I needed to dress up fast. I showered and dressed in record time. I was in middle of tying my hair back with one of my ribbons when I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it I was greeted with the sight of my sweet smiling angel Matthew.

"_Bonsoir_ Francis." Matthew carefully held my hands and pecked my lips. The pleasure of having his lips upon mine almost made me forget about my earlier stress with Ivan. Almost.

"_Bonsoir mon ange_." I smiled and left the apartment closing the door quickly. "So, where are you taking me tonight? Or am I deciding?"

"Yea… About that Francis…" Matthew's voice wavered. I stopped in my tracks to look at him and see what was wrong. Had something happened? Would we have to cancel our date?

"What is it Mathew?" I was a bit concerned myself seeing as this was the first time he was acting uncertain with me. My mind was very quick jumping into conclusions that he had finally become tired of me and my mad ways and was going to break it off tonight.

Matthew looked down on me and let out the most perfect and delicate smile. It chilled my bones in fear. "It's nothing really. It's just that I had wanted to take you to a hockey game tonight and after go to a nice dinner, but… Alfred sort of happened." Seeing as he had not helped in my fear and confusion he kept on. "Alfred is throwing a party tonight for some reason and asked me to be there no matter what. Arthur, Mona and Chells are also going to be there and he asked me if it was ok to invite you too. I sort of told him I would come here and pick you up myself. I figured it was a good excuse to come to our date on time and have him let me out of the apartment. He was oddly clingy today."

I relaxed immediately. "Its fine _mon chou_. But are you sure you want me to come then? We won't be able to be together at the party." With so many people, there was no way I was going to risk our secret. As painful as it was, we were going to have to act like we had nothing going on between us.

"Yea, I thought about that too. But couldn't we just tell them? They are our frie…"

"_Non_. Matthew I told you, no one can know about us." It frustrated me. He had to understand. Even if I couldn't explain why, he had to understand that we were a secret for his own safety. "We need to keep this to ourselves."

I saw his frustration the way his smile disappeared inside him and the sadness that took over his eyes. Yet I knew I could do nothing about it. "But Francis…"

"_Non_. You agreed to it when we started. I told you that we could only keep it up as long as it was a secret." Why did he need to push matter like this now? He wasn't ready for the truth. I wasn't ready for the truth.

"Fine, we will act like there is nothing between us at the party. But you better not flirt with everyone in the room like you usually did before or else I am not responsible for my actions." There was anger in his voice but he had grabbed my hand again and was dragging me away with him to his car.

I could tell I had put my angel in a very unpleased mood during the car ride. The entire way he drove I could see the hurt in his eyes because of me. He resented me, resented that he had first agreed to be a secret. And I resented that I had been foolish enough to think this would work out. Of course he would become upset because of our relationship. Of course he would become angry for not being able to act like a normal couple when surrounded by a group of friends. I was also frustrated with how things were between us. But I knew why it had to be this way and he believed it was simply one of my crazy whims. I needed to find a way to apologies to him.

"Matthew…I…"

"Is it because I am too young?" He blurted out before I could even begin to form my sentences.

"_Quoi_?"

"Am I too young? Is that why we can't be together in public? Or do you have somebody else in your life too? Alfred said you said you don't cheat when in a relationship but Arthur always said you were the afraid of commitments type. Am I really just not good enough for you?" He rambled out while driving and I desperately wanted to calm him down now.

"_Non non non_. Matthew I am not doing any of this because I am embarrassed of you. And I certainly don't have anyone else." This was going to be a disaster.

"Who are 'they'?" He grunted out to me?

"_Quoi_?" _Mon Dieu_ what was happening to us.

"The first night we kissed you panicked and kept saying 'they' couldn't know. Who are 'they'." I had a mini heart attack. He was now beyond frustration and bordering anger. And I was trying my best to keep the incoming panic inside.

"Matthew, there is a reason people can't know about us, but that reason is not you. It is just something that we have to accept if we want to be together." It was the best I could muster in the moment. It was still too soon to try to give any more complex explanations.

I knew Matthew was still angry at me but he kept quiet for the rest of the ride. It was uncomfortable and depressing but I knew any attempt from me to try to lighten the mood would probably be turned down in favor or a fully heated argument. We finally parked the car in front of the place Alfred was supposedly hosting the party. And Matthew and I got off the car in tensed silence. We walked to the door a good distance apart and honestly, I now believed that the argument had come at a good time because now people wouldn't be suspicions of us. My angel clearly didn't want to be near me for now. He headed inside the party first and I followed behind him.

_Merde_. The second the door closed behind me I instantly wished to run back out. The pub, bar or whatever place this was, was filled with men in blue uniforms. Police Uniforms! _Sacrebleu _Alfred's entire department must be inside the building! My love for Matthew and Alfred aside I simply could not be here. I had to turn back now before anyone saw me. I would make up an excuse later, probably use the argument as a passable excuse. They would understand. And then a hand crashed down on my shoulder and I shrieked.

"Oh belt up you bloody frog. Come get a drink with me." Arthur pushed me into the room and I honestly have no idea how I managed to keep on walking. All I could think about was how screwed I was. One of those cops was going to realize what I was and was going to get me arrested. Once arrested I was going to be convicted because there was no way to explain that the meat in my pies was actually from an animal origin and when finally in prison I was going to be killed by the mob. It was as simple as that. I was doomed and Arthur was pushing me forwards to my final demise. Oh why hadn't I managed to run away before?

Arthur shoved me to a chair and I suddenly had a drink in my hand. I wasn't sure if being drunk would be helping my nerves in this particular situation but I sure as hell could not deal with all those cops around me sober. Whatever the drink was I finished it off pretty quickly. It also took me a moment to realize that Arthur had been talking to me this entire time.

"And next thing I know we are being sent to this god awful undercover mission and I have no bloody way to tell Alfred otherwise. Can you believe that he managed to organize this in one day? I knew the lad was thrilled for the experience but he sure as hell does not know how to keep a low profile. The entire bloody department is here." He kept on rambling on, taking a swig of whatever he was holding and I honestly had no of what was happening. Every time a cop looked at our direction I could feel the blood flowing away from me. I was ready to pass out at any given moment. I felt someone pat my shoulder and I jumped.

"Huahuahuahua! What's the matter frog? You got an ex in the department you avoiding or something?" Arthur was surely drunk or well on his way to. Good, that way he wouldn't notice how strange I was acting.

"Franny! You came dude!" I whipped my head just in time to see Alfred pouncing over me. I was held in a mighty bear hug as he started babbling things I also did not understand.

"Alfred! Breath, I need to breath!" I desperately tapped his back trying to make him release me.

"Oh, sorry dude. Hey I need to see how the rest of the party is going so have fun but not too much fun ok dude. Seriously, if you hook up with anyone be discreet cause I thing Matt is still upset about you guys not being a thing. By the way did something happen when he picked you up cause he was ready to start a fight when I saw him?" The ability to spill so many words out of his mouth in such speed should really be Alfred's superpower. I could barely follow. "Well never mind he will tell me later. He's not very good at keeping secrets you know. I managed to make him admit he is seeing someone after work. I think he might have found some kind of fuck buddy or something like that to get the stress out. Hey! Carlos get the fuck away from my Bro! Fucking communist." And Alfred was gone like the mad hurricane he was, chasing after some random cop with dreadlocks that was speaking to Matthew.

I was left again besides a more or less drunken Arthur wondering just what the hell had happened and wondering how to get out of this mess. Well, figuring that Arthur and Alfred had already seen me, I could simply find a way to slip out of the party and head home on my own. I could make an excuse to Chells and Mona later. I was standing up to leave when Arthur spoke up to me laughing and grinning like a cat.

"And here comes the ex." He said. I turned to look at what he was talking about and I could not believe my eyes. _Sacrebleu_! Whatever little self control I had managed to keep surround by cops had just fled me. I tumbled back into my seat and waited for my miserable destiny to finish me off.

He stood right in front of us, with a sickenly sweet smile, one hand on his cap and another with his drink. His green eyes piercing me from behind those lenses, because he knew I was not supposed to be here. "Officer Kirkland, Mister Bonnefoy." Apparently God wanted my death to come by the hands of the mobsters, by the hands of Eduard Von Bock, the Russian's mafia snitch.


	13. Chapter 13

I couldn't breathe. Suddenly the music and the chattering had disappeared and the only thing I could hear was my own heart beat. My hands were shaking so badly I had to hold them back on my lap, out of site from Eduard's piercing eyes. I was so afraid to demonstrate any kind of fear, to make a mistake and somehow be damning myself to death, or worst, damning Arthur to death. _Mon Dieu_ wasn't it enough for me to be surrounded by cops? Was it really necessary for me to face that man too? _Sacrebleu_ why didn't anyone realize what he was? Why didn't they see that he was not what he looked to be? How couldn't they see it?

And then Arthur had to open his big nasty mouth. "So you do know the frog. Heh. Care to join us then?" I was going to personally choke him to death once I regained the control of my body.

"It is a very kind offer Arthur, but if you don't mind, I would rather speak to mister Bonnefoy privately before joining you in your drinking." _Mon Dieu_, please let me die. Allow me to have a merciful death tonight, a stroke or a heart attack. Please make one of these drunken cop accidently shot me to death before I have to deal with this monster disguised as a man. Please let me die with the little dignity I have left. Amen.

Arthur started a drunken laughing fit. "Hahahaha, Oh sure, I get it! Just make sure you keep your eyes on his hands at all times, they have a nasty habit of getting under your bloody clothes most of the time. But I'm sure you already knew that." And Arthur went back to having a laughing fit. Dear Lord in heaven, forever deny Arthur the ability to get laid as my revenge. Amen.

I took a deep breath to try to control my shakiness and swiped my hand at Arthur drink successfully stealing it from his hands. I managed to chug a good part of the alcohol before Arthur stole it back from my lips. "That's my drink you wanking frog!"

Slightly more buzzed now, I managed to smile back at him. "I needed it more then you _mon cher_." Freezing the smile into place I then looked back at Eduard and lifted up from my seat. "I believe you wanted to talk privately didn't you? Lead the way."

Eduard nodded and the second he turned away my forced smile faded. How was I going to deal with him? Simply disappearing now that he wasn't looking would only bring me more trouble later on, but at the same time I had no wishes to accompany him like some sort of trained dog.

And how was I going to explain my presence here? Had Ivan already told the rest of them that I had outside connections with Alfred and Arthur? _Mon Dieu_, was Eduard part of their department before or after Ivan discovered that? Where there more of them here? Did the others already know who I was then? _Sacrebleu_ I needed another drink.

We had just walked far enough to stay out of Arthur's sight when someone stopped us. A nice looking short haired blonde female officer with big green eyes had wrapped an arm around Eduard's and my own arm. "My my, and where did you find this cutie Ed?"

If it had been six years ago, having such a gorgeous woman wrapping herself around me in a police uniform would have been on top of my sexual fantasies. Now however I stiffened and dearly hoped I managed to not faint. Eduard seemed extremely annoyed at the women that kept looking me up and down like a piece of meat in display. "Isabella, what are you doing?"

"Just enjoying the sight of a new face, do you have a name handsome?" I swallowed my fear the best I could before actually trying to smile at her and answer. "Francis, Francis Bonnefoy."

I instantly saw the way her eyes slightly widened and her smile just seemed that more pleased. "You don't say?" _Merde_ she somehow knew me already. Oh, I was definitely screwed. Fuck.

She quickly turned back to Eduard. "Sorry Ed but I need some company at the bar and I'm going to be taking him. Thanks." And I was instantly being dragged away from him by her. A sort of blessed curse, for I was glad to be leaving the fire but I wasn't sure I would like this turn of event.

Isabella promptly dragged me away to a less crowded corner of the bar. We sat beside each other and some sort of strong foreign beer was given to us without the need of us asking for it. She sipped her beer with a smile and then turned back at me. "You have a slight accent. Do you speak French perhaps?"

I grimly smiled back at her. " _Oui_, as a matter of fact I do." Where was she going with this?

Her smile widened and I felt chills down my spine. "So do I." She spoke back in French. "Would you mind switching it up to French then, it has been so long since I had anyone to practice with." She kept on in far too perfect French for someone that simply studied it.

"_Non_, I don't mind." I spoke back in French. Something was definitely odd about this girl, and perhaps speaking in French was the best option to keep unexpected listeners away or confused. I grabbed the beer given to me and drank a big gulp of it. Somehow that made Isabella giggles. "_Quoi_?"

"Oh, nothing really, it's just that they told me you hated beer. That is, if you really are the Francis Bonney that they keep talking about." She sipped some of her own beer and I never felt more threatened by a girl in my life. I was speechless. She looked at me up and down once again. "So? Are you?"

I wasn't sure what to answer. "Am I what?"

She smiled again, a cat like smile that made it seem like she was enjoying my distress. "Are you the Francis Bonnefoy that I have heard about?"

I drank more beer to calm my nerves. "I wouldn't know. It would depend on who 'They' are." If it turned out that she was also related to the Russian mob I would need to find a way to get rid of her and get the hell away from here.

She drank more of her beer before smiling at me again. "A bit paranoid aren't we Francis? But then again, having your best friend and your fiancé disappear right after a shooting dose make people edgy."

My hand shot up to grab her wrist. "Who are you and how do you know that?" I had officially lost my patience with this woman. I squeezed her wrist to make sure she knew I was not making idle treats. Not even Arthur had known about my engagement with Gilbert. He had proposed the night of Antonio's shooting. And between Tony being rushed to the hospital and later disappearing with Gilbert a few days after we had never managed to tell anyone about it.

Isabella's face twisted up in pain, yet she tried to act as if it was nothing. "I am simply a friend trying to help."

I squeezed her wrist harder in anger. "I don't believe you." I was not going to fall into another of the mafia's scheme, I was not going to be lied to and tricked with anymore.

She kept up with her fake smiling. "Why don't you release me so we can keep on talking without anyone interrupting us?" She glanced at the rest of the room.

I looked around and realized that she was right. Most of the cops around us were glancing our way, murmuring between them about what was happening. I immediately released her wrist and grabbed the beer instead. She had better have a very convincing story.

Isabella retracted her hand to herself and discreetly rubbed her wrist as she started talking again. "That man you were with is the dangerous one. Eduard may be harmless on his own but he works for very dangerous men, men that would be very willing to hurt you if they got their hands on you. I only wanted to protect you."

"And why is that?" So she knew about Eduard's relation to the mob. But why didn't she know about mine? "Why did you decide I needed protection?"

"Let's just say it so happens that some of my colleagues are old friends of yours." I was shaking again now. Could she actually mean Gilbert and Antonio? Had Gilbert been the one to tell her about us? _Mon Dieu_ what was happening? What were Gil and Tony up to?

And then there was a hand on my shoulder and I jumped out. "There you are mister Bonnefoy." Came the cold and calm toned voice behind me and I slowly looked up at Eduard. "I hope I am not interrupting too much, but I insist on speaking with you privately. You won't terribly mind it would you Bella?" He looked over to Isabella with a harsh glare. Isabella simply smiled back at him and responded back in English. "Jealous are we Ed?"

Eduard kept glaring at her until she shrugged her shoulders in a playful way. "Oh, fine, you can keep him. But I am pretty sure he is already taken." She turned back to me smiling, leaning forward to whisper something in French in my ear. "Be careful, we will come for you soon enough." But instead of pulling right away after her warning she proceeded to kiss me on the lips and obviously slip a paper inside my shirt pocket. "Call me handsome." She called out loudly as she stood up and walked away while I stood frozen solid on my sit.

Eduard tapped my shoulder making me jump again, he was silently requesting that I stood up and followed him once again to search for some more private place to talk. I lifted the beer still in my hand and gulped it all up. I was not ready to deal with any of that bastard's crap. Yet the moment my feet once again hit the ground my head started to spin. I had definitely not been used to whatever drinks I had been chugging down, and even thought it seemed that I had somehow still kept my head mostly clear, I was losing control over my body. And it became fairly obvious when I tried taking a step and tripped over myself to the floor.

I looked up to the people that were staring at me and somehow the situation was so ridiculous even to me that I started laughing. Eduard's face had turned into a sort of disappointed frown and his obvious displeasure got me laughing harder. There was some moving around between the bystanders and I felt someone trying to lift me up. Strong arms were lifting my arms up while another arm wrapped itself around my waist. "I think you had enough Franny." Alfred and Matthew had finally come to my rescue. I turned my head to see Matthew supporting me while Alfred was dispersing the rest of the on looking cops. My angel, my sweet beloved child had come to rescue me from Eduard's hands.

"I thought you handled your liquor better than this?" Matthew grunted as he helped me walk away from everyone else.

"I didn't stick to wine." I mumbled back.

Matthew tried to hide it but I felt his chest move when he snorted. "And why is that?" We were outside now, heading to Matthew's car.

"I was too scared to care about what I was drinking."_Merde_, drunken honesty was not good for a man in my position. I should have managed held that back.

But Matthew didn't seem to care much for what I was saying. He strapped me to the passenger's seat of his car and was driving me back home in a peaceful silence. I felt so hopeful that he was no longer angry at me that I slipped my hand into his as he drove. He squeezed my hand back and I could not have felt happier in that moment. We kept our hands together inside that comfortable silence until Matthew parked next to my apartment building.

"We have the day off tomorrow." I mumbled, not sure if we were in good enough terms again to invite him back inside.

Mathew simply smiled back at me. "You're drunk." Well, that was true.

"I am not that drunk _mon chouchou_." At least I hoped not. It would be an awful shame if I did manage to convince him to come back up with me only to realize I was unable to perform as I should.

Matthew raised one of his eye brows at me. "But you are drunk enough to let some girl you just met kiss you." _Merde_.

"Matthew, please let me explain." I began, dearly hoping I could manage to come up with something believable to tell him, but I felt something soft and sweet pressing upon my lips and shutting me up for good. And when Matthew pulled away I wasn't sure what to do.

"Francis, I don't care why you let her kiss you, but I am angry about it." He sure had a very unique way to express his anger, because I could swear he had just kissed me and that we were good. "I am however going to forgive you." Blessed be my angel. "After I punish you." _Quoi_?

"Matthew, what do you mean by that?" Surely I had misunderstood something.

Matthew very calmly and very sweetly placed his hand over my cheek. "I have decided that since you refuse to let others know about us, I am going to fucking show them not to touch you." And before I could question or wonder any further he had pulled me up to his face as was fiercely kissing me.

I have no clue as to how we managed to get out of the car and up the stairs to my apartment the way Matthew was all over me but we somehow did, and as the apartment's door closed my angel became everything but. Shirt and pants were literally ripped out of my body as Matthew left teeth marks all over my skin. His hands were leaving bruises wherever they touched me and as painful and agonizing as the rough treatment he was giving me was, he was also giving me immense pleasure. He teased and tortured me, making me whimper and moan his name. He would whisper sweet things into my ear, possessive sweet words, claiming me for himself and only him.

That night he possessed me over and over again, not being satisfied until I was all marked, bruised and bleeding. In the morning, when his need of owning me was finally satisfied, he decided it was time to turn the tables. Never had someone rode me with such passion. It turned out that my sweet innocent angel was not so sweet and innocent after all. When both our bodies finally crashed down from exhaustion it was already late afternoon.

Matthew was limping to the kitchen to get some ice and bandages to help with my nastier bruises while I lay sore in my bed inspecting the full damage to my body. Honestly, it looked like I had been mauled by a dog after a twelve hour marathon. I would be needing scarves and turtle neck for weeks. And gloves, Matthew had somehow managed to leave teeth marks on my hand.

It was a delight when I felt something cold pressing against my shoulders. "How are you doing?" Matthew's sweet soft voice asked.

"I'll live to work tomorrow but I will be sporting bruises for a month." I moaned as he pressed the ice against my skin.

"I'm sorry." I felt his lips kiss my back softly. "Think you can handle the rest of the day alone? I kind of have to get back to Alfred before he freaks out more then he probably already is."

I reached out for him to place a kiss on his lips. "You can go _mon chou_, I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow morning ok." He kissed me farewell and I crashed into a deep dreamless sleep the moment he left.

When my alarm clock woke me the following morning I was still sore, but better enough to stand up and get ready for work. And as I had predicted, I had to tie a silk scarf around my neck, leave my hair down, and dress myself with long sleeves and a pair of gloves to cover up all the love bites and purple bruises my angel had so possessively left on me. Even riding the motorcycle to work was a sore business today. But hopefully I wouldn't be so bad after work.

The morning went ahead mostly as usual, Mona had called in sick, so Matthew was going to be responsible for most of the baking today while I helped Chells on to counter. It was quite a relief because it meant I would be able to take breaks more often.

It was still early morning, and we had just opened up the shop, the bell rang up every time one of our morning regulars walked in and I was distracted helping customers. I didn't even turn to see who was walking in when the bell rang, but at some point, a shadow casted upon me and a sweet childlike voice spoke up beside me. "_Dobroye utro_ Francis."

My head shot up, inside my bakery stood Ivan, just as I remembered him, cold sweet smile upon his face as he looked directly at me. _Merde_.


	14. Chapter 14

I was frozen in fear. I had forgotten, honestly forgotten, how absolutely terrifying Ivan's smiling face could be. It even seemed as he had grown larger and even more terrifying since the last time I saw him. Dealing exclusively with him over the phone may have been a very, very, bad idea for me. I had gotten too comfortable imagining him some place far away to remember that he would actually need to come back and that I would have to deal with him face to face again. Fuck was I screwed this time. I tried to reply him somehow, but couldn't even find my voice to answer him. The way his cold violet eyes were fixed on me prevented any kind of rational thought to go thru my mind.

He kept on smiling. "I missed you Francis." He said in a sweet voice as his hand raised to softly brush some of my hair from my face and I stiffened to his touch, controlling the instinct to jerk back away from him. "I thought of you every day back in Russia." He kept on, leaning over the counter approaching me. I remained where I stood, unable to move away from Ivan's piercing stare. But as he approached me suddenly there was a flicker in his eyes and I trembled to the twitch in his smile.

I somehow found my voice. "Ivan? Is… is everything alright?" The atmosphere around him had intensified into a much darker and terrifying thing.

Ivan had backed up and was now standing at his full height. "Of course Francis." He spoke, using the fucked up twisted tone that I loathed. "Why would anything be wrong?" He smiled and I somehow knew that something was very, very, wrong and I might end up paying up for it.

"It…It's been a while hasn't it?" _Merde_ what was wrong? Why was he here now?

"Oh surely it hasn't been that long has it _Frensis_?" He said with his smile widened threateningly. Fuck. Why had he called me that way? Never had he called me something other than my name.

"I have good news for you _Frensis_." He went on. Shivers ran thru my whole body. Good news for the mob was never good news for me. It was terrifying just to think that they could have something such as good news.

"But before we go into that _moy dorogoy Frensis_. Why don't we go some place where we can talk more privately?" He stretched out his hand again, caressing my cheek. _Merde_. The glint in his eyes told me that I was into some deep fucked up shit this time.

It was just my luck that precisely at that moment, the kitchen door swung open and Matthew walked out of the kitchen with a hot batch of treats and saw us. Both Ivan and I turned to look at him and I instantly recognized the Arthur's special death glare in my angels face. And he was sending such glare Ivan's way. Fuck. Why was my precious sweet angel only able to make himself noticeable when it is best for him to stay out of sight?

"May we help?" Matthew spoke up loudly as he moved himself between me and the counter before Ivan, the possessive intent of his action obvious to anyone willing to see it. Ivan sent him an even more terrifying death glare. _Mon Dieu_, my angel was going to get himself killed.

"It's ok _chouchou_, I can handle this, please go back to the kitchen." I panicked. _Sacrebleu_ why did I always attract the obsessive, possessive types.

Matthew and Ivan didn't budge from their glaring contest. With a quick glance around the shop I realized that Chells and the other costumers had already stopped from whatever they had been previously doing to look at them expectantly. It was going to be a blood bath.

"Ivan, why don't you call me later? Matthew we really need to get back to work." I still panicked. At least this time Ivan looked my way, though I still didn't like how he smiled at me.

"Would you rather I come after closing hour with a gift _moy dorogoy Frensis_?" He sneered at me and I cursed the bastard because Matthew was already riled up enough as it is and he wouldn't understand the true meaning behind the 'gift' Ivan had offered me.

"He's busy later." Matthew barked up to Ivan before I could do anything about it. "Now are you buying something or not?" He kept on rudely.

"Matthew please, that is no way to speak to a costumer. Let me take care of this and go back to the kitchen." I pleaded.

"Oh, but I bet he would cancel all his plans to meet me in the back at night." Ivan jabbed. _Sacrebleu _I really wanted to fetch my knives and stab the both of them. Anything to stop this madness.

"Ivan, stop it. Matthew please listen to me." I tried again.

"And what makes you think that?" Matthew growled back. _Merde_ What was I supposed to do?

Instead of giving Matthew an answer, Ivan grinned knowingly. It riled Matthew spot on, it was the last straw for him. Matthew slammed his hands at the counter ready to jump towards Ivan prevented only because I had realized what he intended to do and grabbed his waist pulling him back with me.

"Matthew! Let it go! Ivan! Office! Now!" I yelled angrily at the both of them desperate to prevent a fight to break out. Ivan walked toward the back smiling smugly to Matthew as he struggled in my grip. And only when he disappeared toward the office did I release Matthew from my arms.

"What were you thinking?" I instantly yelled at him.

"He was…" He began yelling back at me.

"We were talking!" I interrupted.

"But…"

"No! No buts, I do not care what you think was happening, nothing was going on and the last thing I needed was for you to barge in like that, building up an unnecessary scene." I yelled at him. _Mon Dieu_ this was a nightmare. Matthew might just have put himself in danger by pulling such an act. I needed to find a way to convince Ivan it was nothing. Lie to him about why Matthew had done that. _Mon Dieu _if something happens to Matthew I won't be able to live with myself anymore.

"Matthew, please go back to work, we will talk about this later." I pleaded.

Matthew was pissed off, seriously pissed off, more then when we had argued because of Alfred's party. But he walked back inside slamming the kitchen's door as he did. This day could not have started off worst.

"Chells?" I moaned out.

"_Oui _Francis?" She called back.

I sighed hopelessly. It was time to face my fears. "Please look out for the store. This may take a while." I miserably asked her as I walked past the kitchen door and headed to my office.

I entered the office and turned to lock the door behind me. "Ivan." I spoke up facing the door, still too scared to directly face him.

"You have been a bad man while I was away Francis. A very bad man." Was the sick, twisted reply I got from him.

"I have done nothing wrong." I replied still facing the door.

"You are a lousy liar." He spoke, closer this time. "I can see the truth all over you." I could hear him approaching me. Feel him stand right behind me. I was too terrified to face him. I felt it when his cold hand gently pulled my hair back and I shivered when the tip of his fingers brushed a love bite in my neck.

"Is this your boy's work?" He whispered as my blood instantly turned cold. "Did you let him claim you as his own like this in my absence?"

I struggled to find my voice again, barely being able to make myself heard. "He has nothing to do with this." _Mon Dieu_ please let him believe that.

His miserably cold hand grabbed the back of my neck. "No? Then who is responsible for these marks?" The grip tightened, and I started to fear for my life. "Whose head am I supposed to bash into a bloody pulp?" I trembled. I was going to die. "Answer me Francis!"

I was going to die, I'm going to die, _je vais mourir, je vais mourir, je vais mourir, je vais mourir. Je suis mort_.

I was suddenly pulled away from the door and thrown into the office. Barely being able to steady myself before both Ivan's hands where around my neck again. I grasped his wrists desperately trying to get him to release me. I could feel the air escaping my lungs and not coming back. "Ivan." I gasped desperately.

"We are monsters Francis. We will forever be monsters." He spoke wickedly soft to me, his sickening smiling face never wavering as he tightened his grip around my neck. "Do you think they would love you if they knew? Do you think they would kiss you now as they did before if they knew? Did you think they would keep on smiling with you when they finally realized the truth? Do you think you could actually keep them safe?"

I was dying. He was going to kill me. It didn't matter that there would be witnesses, he was going to kill me. I was going to die. Who would protect Matthew and Chells after that? Who was going to protect my children after he was thru with me? I couldn't breathe anymore. Yet I couldn't die knowing he would go after them. I couldn't let him go after them. I had to think of something. I had to breathe. Suddenly…

"Yao" I barely screamed, and the grip suddenly released itself from me. I fell in all fours, gasping desperately as the air returned to my burning lungs. Ivan's cold hands were soon patting my back and holding my shoulders up as I recovered my breath.

When I looked up, for the first time ever, I saw Ivan truly demonstrate an emotion. And it was fear. If I had the breath, I would have laughed.

"How do you know that name?" He asked, being very gentle as he helped me rise from the floor and sit down at my desk. So he didn't remember anything from the night that he broke into my apartment.

"You called him Yao-yao wasn't it?" I mentioned. It was terribly satisfying watching Ivan's face fall and his collapse at the chair in front of mine. I might just have saved my life along with the rest of my dear ones.

"So you know then." He mumbled, wide eyed, almost childlike. Never was I going to understand his sudden changes in personalities.

"I even know the day you brought him here for me." If I could keep making him believe that I knew more then I actually did I could manage to get a bargain out of him in my favor.

"Have you won the bet then?" He asked in the most childish of ways. "Have you figured the rest of it out while I was away?" It was so obvious how he was disappointed, like I had just told a child that he would not be getting a present like the rest of his friends because I had caught him in a lie. Yet as much as I wanted to brag and be able to claim my freedom I knew I had nothing. And Ivan instantly picked up on that.

"So there is still hope then?" He cheered up considerably in that moment. "Oh, that's good. I had feared I had wasted my time in Russia."

"What do you mean?" What was he talking about?

"I was only supposed to stay there for a day or two, never more than a week and surely not the entire month I spent there." He happily started explaining as he fished a notebook out of one of his pockets. "But the main headquarters has all the best registers of the family members. Everything from former members to the new recruits." I suddenly terribly regretted my ignorance.

"You mean…" I was too scared to even complete my train of thought.

"_Da_." He smiled back at me. Opening his little notebook at a page with a single name scribbled on it.

_Gilbert Beilschmidt_

My heart stopped. I forgot how to breathe. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes. _Je suis mort_.

"He is the one you are protecting isn't it? The deal was that as long as you stay with the family, they will not go after him."

The tears fell freely now. There was really no reason to keep them back anymore. I had lost.

"It was a way to force him to come after you. But he never did, did he." I could hear Ivan standing up, walking up to me. I felt his cold hands cupping my face, turning my head so I could face him. Yet I only saw a blurred figure. "He left you here and ran Francis. He abandoned you to save his own skin." He kept saying. I wanted to argue back, to say that he had not abandoned me, that he was soon to be coming after me, but I couldn't know for sure. I didn't know if Gilbert, the man I had once loved with all my heart, the man I had once agreed to spent the rest of my life with, would truly come back. Those things had been so long ago, almost in another life. I just kept on crying.

"Shhhh… It's ok now _moy dorogoy Frensis_." He whipped away my tears. "You are mine now _moy dorogoy_. And I promise you, I will take good care of you."

_Je suis mort_.

"Come _moy drogoy_ stop that crying. It will be nice to be together." He kept on speaking. "Won't it be nice to be with someone you don't have to hide from? Someone that you won't have to lie to? That will love you even when they know you are nothing more than a monster?"

There was a knock at the door. The sound jolted Ivan away from me but I simply couldn't care less. "Francis?" It was Matthew.

"Francis is everything all right?" Chells. She was at the door too.

I felt Ivan's hand comb thru my hair. "Pack up your things _moy drogoy_. It is time to leave this farce behind." I heard him say. I didn't question it.

I turned to open my vault, picked my knives case and a few documents. The knocking at the door had grown louder, along with Chells and Matthew's cries for me. I stood up, case and documents in hand. There was nothing in that office worth keeping.

Something was placed at my shoulder. "Good, follow me then." Ivan said.

The door was opened, Matthew and Chells were looking worried at me. Matthew tried to reach out for me, but was stopped by Ivan. Ivan led me thru the hall towards the front of the bakery. Chells and Matthew had started yelling things behind us. I couldn't hear what it was. The costumers still at the shop stared at us, stared at the two men leaving while the couple of employees tried to stop them. We walked out the bakery. There was a car, a brunet with shoulder length hair and green eyes dashed in front of the car to open the door for us. The brunet was saying something to Ivan. I couldn't hear it.

I was pushed inside the car. The car's door closed after me. Ivan had remained outside, he had started to speak to Matthew that was screaming something at him. Chells was at the bakery's door, a phone in hand.

Onlookers had started to gather and watch the two men argue. The brunet was at Ivan's side, Matthew was still screaming at them. Ivan suddenly moved, he had just punched Matthew in the face. I watched as he fell on the ground holding up his nose. Chells ran towards him, she started crying. Ivan yelled something and then was making his way around the car. The brunet was at the driver's seat. Ivan sat beside me. And the car started up.

I heard 'You are a lousy liar' being whispered into my ear. It sounded like Ivan.

The car was leaving the scene fast. The scenery at the window blurring rapidly. Nothing was said in the car. I felt something cold on my cheek. The cold felt good against my skin. Ivan's hands where whipping away some tears. I realize now I had not stopped crying.

_Je suis mort_.


	15. Chapter 15

My eyes burned. I was lying down in something soft, comfortable and warm, but my first conscious thought was the burning sensation. With my eyes still closed I let my hands roam thru the soft fabrics that enclosed me, soon realizing that I was probably lying on a bed. I slowly opened my eyes, blinking several times as the action increased the burning sensation on them. I had awakened in a strange bedroom.

The room was luxuriously decorated, paintings of summer landscapes and vases filled with sunflowers surrounded the walls. Straight ahead of the bed a set of double doors was opened to another room that seemed to work as a walk in closet, and connected the bedroom to a bathroom. The bed I was currently laid above was covered with colorful patterned sheets. The room itself had been decorated to have a very warm, welcoming atmosphere, but everything just felt wrong about it. It was as if despites the decorator's best intent of making the room homely, he had somehow failed. It was too warm, too colorful, and too fake.

I heard a knock. A door was opened, and a small blond boy walked in with a tray of food. The boy was trembling, his blue eyes filled with fear, staring at me like I was the devil himself. He slowly approached the bed, leaving the food tray as closely to me as possible while he attempted to remain as far away from me as he could. And once the tray was set, he dashed to the corner of the room, only to watch me in fear.

I glanced over to the tray. It was filled with bacon, ham, sausages and other meats along with a glass of water and a mug with coffee. I picked up the coffee and pushed the rest of the tray away from me. As I started to sip the bitter taste of the black coffee I heard a hushed squeak coming up from the boy.

"_Quoi_?" My voice sounded cold and hoarse, terrifying the poor boy even more.

"For…Forgive… Me. Is…Is the meal not… Not to your liking?" The boy stuttered whispering and trembling. With every second that I kept looking at him the more he trembled. I was scaring him by just existing.

"I'm a vegetarian." I said trying to sound as normal as possible to not scare him even more. He blinked back at me unsure. "I don't eat meat." I reassured him softly.

"You…You don't…Don't eat meat?" He stuttered, looking at me in disbelief. "Bu…But…" Whatever he was trying to say he opted to not finish it. He simply walked up to the bed and picked up the tray again. "I'll…I'll be back with something else." And then he left the room.

I remained where I was, sipping the bitter coffee and looking out thru one of the windows beside the bed. It was early morning, a sunny day with a blue sky and birds singing. The room I was in was at a second story giving me a splendid view of a beautiful flowered garden below. I wanted to rise and walk outside, see if the day was as warm and as pleasant as it seemed. So I rose from the bed to open the window. The breeze that rushed in was chilling, but not unpleasant in the fake warmness of the room. I sat at the window's frame to drink my coffee, feeling the cold sinking pleasantly inside my skin. The cold felt soothing, felt real.

Soon enough the blond boy from earlier, walked back into the room with another tray. He once again left the tray above the bed and dashed back to the corner he had been previously standing. I stepped away from the open window, noticing that this time, the tray was filled with breads, jams and fruits. I sat next to the tray and picked up a slice of bread and started to spread the jam on it. The trembling boy kept watching me.

"Do you want to join me?" I asked him as I took my first bite.

He jolted up a bit. "Oh…No…No thank you. I…I am not supposed to."

"Please." I asked. "Have something."

The boy looked uncertain, but he slowly stepped forward, approaching me with caution and sitting on the bed on a spot he considered close enough but far enough. He kept taking glances at me and then at the tray, suspicion was all over him, but he eventually picked up a piece of bread and started to nibble on it.

"So." I started as I picked another piece of bread and offered him some jam. "What's your name?"

He picked up the jam from my hand and looked back to his bread. "Raivis, Raivis Galante."

"Francis, _enchanté_." I said as I finished off the bread in my hands. Raivis looked back towards me a question in his eyes. "_Oui_?"

He opened his mouth to begin something but he quickly looked away from me, taking his time before he tried asking again. "Are…Are you really a man-eater?" he squeaked facing away from me.

I didn't answer him. "Is that what they say I am?" I asked.

"Y…yes. The…They said you joined us to have fresh meat whenever you wanted." He said as he nibbled his bread. "They have a lot… of stories about you. About how you kill and…and eat people. Or how even the member have to be careful around you, because if they turn their backs, you'll…you'll jump them and devour them regardless, and how master Braginski is the only one that you would not dare eat." He had started trembling lightly, perhaps fearing my answer.

I sighed. "And that's what they call me? A man-eater?"

"Crow." I heard Ivan's voice say. Raivis and I looked up to the door to see Ivan standing there. "Cannibal." He said as he walked inside. "Cook. Hell's Butcher. Hell Hound. Death Keeper. Monster. Black Angel. Daemon. Devil." He stopped right in front of us. "And my personal favorite, Braginski's pet." He raised one of his hands to caress my hair. His touch was cold, but it was strangely comforting. "Those are the names our members use to refer to you _moy dorogoy Frensis_."

Raivis had quickly stood up and was picking up the tray. Trembling violently as he quickly tried to clean the crumbs from the bed. But before the boy could leave the room Ivan called him out.

"Y…yes…Ma…Master Braginski?" He squeaked out, visibly making an effort to not seem scared.

"You will be punished later for not following orders." Ivan's tone was sweet but strict. I felt bad for the boy.

"He did nothing wrong." I lifted my gaze to look at Ivan's face. I really didn't want the boy to suffer.

"He was ordered not to speak to you unnecessarily." Ivan explained me stroking my hair.

"I asked him. He was just doing what I asked." I explained back. Ivan looked at me, really looked at me and analyzed me. And then he turned back to Raivis that was still trembling at the door.

"This was your warning. Disobey me again and you will be punished." Raivis was quick to nod back at Ivan and disappear from the room closing the door behind him.

We were alone then. Ivan sat besides me on the bed, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me into his chest, his head resting on my shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he asked me, his tone was sweet and caring, no traces of hidden intentions or malice in his voice.

"Empty." Dead. _Mort_.

Ivan hummed as he nuzzled himself against me. "Why don't we take a bath?" He asked as his cold lips were grazing against my skin. "A nice warm bath might help."

So he pulled me up with him, guiding me away from the bed and into the bathroom. It was only when the door closed behind us that he released me from his arms, leaving me standing while he started the water on the bathtub. And once the water had started to fill up the tub he was once again standing in front of me. I had not moved, had not done anything, I simply stood still when Ivan started to unbutton my uniform from the bakery. He took his time opening up my shirt, letting his cold hand roam thru my chest and arms as he removed it. A similar process was used as he stripped me from my pants and underwear, yet his touch was not intrusive, it was not lustful. It simply felt like he was touching me.

With me finally naked, Ivan quickly stripped himself from his clothes, exposing all the scars on his body. They covered him head to toe. One scar so close to his penis that it appeared someone had attempted to castrate him. They felt painful, they made me sick.

Ivan climbed inside the tub, submerging for a second before wiping his wet hair back and looking back to me. "Come."

I moved. Walked up to the tub and climbed inside. The water was burning hot, uncomfortably hot. And yet when Ivan's hand pulled me back to lie on his chest, they were still cold. His entire body still felt cold.

"How is the water?" He asked me as one of his hands pulled my head back to lie on his shoulder while the other held my waist firmly pressed against him.

"Hot" I answered.

Ivan hummed as his lips kissed my neck. The hand that held my head traveled lower, resting on my chest right above my heart. "How did you get this scar?"

I was surprised he had noticed it since most people barely did. It had taken Gilbert an entire moth of us sleeping together to finally realize I had it. Honestly, it was a small scar. "I had a heart surgery when I was a kid, something about my heart being too big for my body." I lifted my hand to touch it. I had some very good and very bad memories attached to it. I had met my first love while hospitalized, a boyish girl named Joan. Our beds had been next to each other at the kids ward. But the same month I was considered cured, she passed away. Remembering it had always made me cry, yet this time, I couldn't feel the tears coming.

Ivan hummed again next to my ear. His hand left my chest then and touched another scar at my right upper arm. "What about this one?"

"Bar fight." I answered diligently. Arthur had given me that one. I couldn't remember the argument, just that we had both beaten each other so bad we had to be hospitalized together. We ended up sharing the same hospital room for a week. We never had an argument as bad as that one after that, we both loathed the idea of having to repeat the experience.

Ivan snorted amused. "Never would have guessed that." His hand then traveled lower, resting on another scar at my left hip. "And this one?"

"I fell. Sort of." It had all been Antonio and Gilbert's fault. We were wasted and had decided to climb up a construction site. We failed to realize that the tubes we were using to climb could not handle our weight. Being the last one climbing, Antonio and Gilbert crashed above me. They deeply apologies to me later, offering a three some to make up for the scar, one of the best apologies I had ever had the pleasure to accept.

Ivan pulled me closer to him, surprising me as he kissed my cheek. "You finally smiled." His said in childish delight. I was slightly startled, not realizing I had done such thing. "I was scared for you. Since yesterday you were looking like death."

I felt something sting on my chest and I desperately wanted it to go away. So I decided to change topics. I asked the first thing that came to mind. "What about your scars?"

"Nothing much really, most of them are from gang fights I participated as I worked my way up in the business. A few of them were from assassination attempts. People tend to want you gone when they think you have too much influence." He dismissed. "But most of the people that have tried to harm me are now long gone, and you won't have to worry about something like that happening to you. No one from the family would dare try to harm you."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

"You see, some men get terribly creative when bored or drunk. And you happen to be a favorite topic to terrify the trainees into discipline, meaning that most men are too scared to even dare approach you." His hands roamed thru my body. "To them, you are nothing more then the embodiment of their nightmares." He whispered into my ear.

I shivered. It was only then that the actual washing began. Ivan bathed me entirely before bathing himself.

Ivan was then standing up and making me go along with him. A large towel was bestowed upon me and Ivan was rubbing me dry. And after being deemed dry enough he held my hand as he guided me to the walk-in-closet. I stood silently in the middle of the room holding the towel on my hip as Ivan started to dress himself. And once Ivan was properly dressed, he opened another part of the closet and started holding up clothes to me. "Which one do you like?"

Before I even had time to consider the options, Ivan had already decided for me. He dressed me in a red shirt with black slacks, the clothes fitting me perfectly. A belt was then attached to me, and on it, an ornamented dagger. "Ivan what is this?"

Ivan looked down to me. "It's a souvenir from Russia. Hopefully you will never have to use it, but I figured you should have it just in case." He took the dagger out of its sheath and showed it to me. The blade was clean and sharp, modeled to work as a hand weapon or a throwing knife. The handle was silver, a clawed paw holding a black gem. It was a sickeningly beautiful blade. "I hope you enjoy it." Ivan said as he placed it back into its sheath that was attached to my belt. The dagger remained perfectly positioned hidden on my lower back.

"Why do you trust me with a blade?" My voice came off weird. I was trembling. I had a weapon, was given a weapon. Why would he trust me not to slit his throat as soon as he turned around? Why would I not take the chance? My hand had already gone back to hold the handle. I could do it.

"You can try to kill me all you want. I won't hold it against you. But I will punish you for every try." He said smiling. His hand then held my chin, turning my face to look directly at him. "But remember this, harm yourself and I will personally find and butcher all your loved ones." My hand instantly left the blade, yet he did not release me. The sick and twisted tone of his voice was making me sick once again. "I own you _moy dorogoy Frensis_. And that means I decide everything for you, even when and how you die. And if you dare try to run from me, I will drag you back to my side getting rid of everyone that is on my way." He released me then, and I stood completely petrified.

Ivan turned around, searching for something inside the closet. I did nothing, could think of nothing. And Ivan was soon turning back to me with something in his hands. He stepped behind me and I saw a golden chain being clasped around my neck. There was a golden medallion on the chain, a terrifying image of a two headed black hound was on it. One of the hound's heads was facing forwards, growling, the second head had a human hand on his mouth.

"Never take this off." Ivan said behind me. "It marks you for who you are. So as long as you have it no one will dare question you. Make sure to keep it visible at all times" I gave a slight nod in agreement.

"Good." Ivan then handed me a cream blazer. "You have free range on the house, but you are not allowed to leave it. If you wish to go out, it can only be with me. And if we are to receive guests, you are to stay by my side at all times. Understand?"

I nodded once again in agreement. Ivan smiled at me.

"How about I give you a tour of the house then." He held my hand as he started walking and I silently followed obediently.


	16. Chapter 16

Mobster after mobster walked in to talk to Ivan. All of them had looked important, and most had come with bodyguards. Toris, the brunet man with green eyes I had seen with Ivan the day I had lost everything and later was told worked as Ivan's personal assistant and driver, would walk in from time to time with letters and messages from more people. I had no idea of what was being discussed, Russian being the language of preference of most. I was also not to interact with his guests beyond simple introductions. So I was mostly left alone. Ignoring everything around me, I had seated in a corner of Ivan's office to watch the garden outside the window.

I hated the way those men would keep staring at me. They all did their best to ignore my presence and focus their attentions on Ivan, but they also all turned their heads to glance at me every chance they got. The slightest sound coming from me would have them whipping their heads and jumping back. Ivan would giggle every time, far to amused by their supposed fears. He let out a full blown laugh when one of his associate's bodyguards passed out after I had snapped my teeth at him in irritation. I hated every minute of it.

Ivan had been quick picking up my mood. He leaned at his desk with a smile. "Don't worry. We only have time for a couple more people before we have to get ready for the gathering." He had reassured me. Yet it didn't feel reassuring at all. I was dreading this gathering. To think that I would have to formally meet and renew my ties to this new boss was simply disgusting. Not only would I have to meet and greet other monsters disguised as men, but I would be considered one of them. I was getting sicker by the hour, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Another group of three men walked inside the office. Ivan greeted them shaking their hands and gestured vaguely towards me. I nodded my head towards them pretending to understand what was being said and turned back to the window. That was all that was expected of me. And they started having their conversations. Outside the window everything was beautiful. All I wanted to do was to be outside, in the garden, between the flower patches and the aged trees, feeling the sun on my skin and the wind blowing around me.

The voices inside the office had started to grow louder. I turned my head to the raising argument they were apparently having. Ivan was still seated and keeping his voice low, seemingly trying to reason with the man that had raised from his seat and had started shouting and pointing at Ivan and then me. I still had no idea of what was being argued but I knew he was somehow displeased by me. The angry man kept shouting and gesturing to himself, the two men behind him adding their opinion from time to time. And then something must have been said that really pissed off Ivan because suddenly he had risen from his seat and had started shouting as well.

The angry man suddenly turned towards me and started yelling something. I froze in my place, not having a clue of what I was to do in this situation. Ivan was yelling something at him but the man ignored him and kept shouting at me. I remained frozen in silence, hoping that Ivan would take care of whatever was happening. The man then pulled out a gun and pointed it at me as he kept screaming. I didn't move an inch. The man kept shouting. He was going to kill me. He wanted me gone and I couldn't care less. A shot was heard.

I watched stunned as the man's body fell and the blood began to stain the carpet floor. I finally moved my head towards Ivan's desk. Satan himself would have run from the sight. Ivan held a smoking gun with the most self pleased smile one could own. The other two men in the room were already cowering on the floor.

Ivan's free hand reached out for the phone on his desk. Toris picked up. "_Da_?"

"Toris." He said in such a twisted sweet voice. "Please tell the rest of our guests that I am done for the day and we will continue during the gathering. Also, send the dogs up for a clean up." Ivan finished the call and placed the gun on top of his table. He turned still smiling to the two men still on the floor. "It was nice meeting you, I hope to see you two later tonight in the gathering."

He then proceeded to walk around them and towards the door signaling for me to follow. I looked down to the bleeding corpse once more before turning around and following. The sickness building up in my guts was suddenly gone.

We walked back into the bedroom and Ivan collapsed into the bed. I stood back next to the door. There was a minute of silence before Ivan broke it. "Francis. Come lie with me."

I headed to the bed and sat at its edge facing away from him. But Ivan's arms soon reached out for me pulling me closer to his cold body. He snuggled himself against my chest with his arms well wrapped around my waist. I kept silent, letting him do what he pleased. I was another moment before I broke the silent this time.

"What happened Ivan?" My voice came off weird, I didn't sound like myself. I sounded dead.

Ivan held me closer for a moment before mumbling something. I raised one of my hands to have it run thru his hair. He spoke louder this second time. "He got angry about being demoted. Said he wouldn't let a monster such as you take his place. He was pissing me off with his foul language and his insults towards you. He wanted you to resign you seat to him, but because you kept quiet he threatened to kill you. I killed him then."

I let my arms wrap around his head protectively, realizing now that he was probably trying to calm down. I held him like that until I felt his arms relaxing around me. "Will there be consequences for killing him?" I asked concerned for the both of us.

"Some people will be angry about it. But there won't be any consequence for us." Ivan pulled his head away from my chest and rolled me over to lie above him. One of his hands started to play with my hair. "The only ones that can touch us are back in Russia. And they don't care how I handle things here as long as I keep sending the profits back to the headquarters."

There was a knock at the door then. Ivan turned his head to the sound but didn't move or release me. "_Da_."

"Ma…Master Braginski." We heard Ravis' voice coming thru the door. "It... It is almost time to leave for the gathering."

Ivan mumbled something in Russian before sitting up and pulling me with him. "We need to get ready _moy dorogoy__. Come." _

_We headed to the bathroom to showered together. Ivan was persistent in making me shower and bathe with him, and I no longer cared. We helped wash each other, Ivan was always very gentle when handling me, making sure I would not flinch away from his cold touches. As much as I wanted to I hadn't the strengh necessary to harm him, so I resented myself to simply let my hands roam thru his scars during these moments, a thing I quickly realised he loved and hated at the same time. _

_Once the shower was done, we quickly dried and dressed. Ivan had picked a blood red suit for myself while he dresed in a white suit himself. He looked absolutly dangerous dressed in it. I looked in the mirror while I waited Ivan to finish dressing up, I could barely recognize myself. I looked like a monster in the blood red suit, the golden medalion with its hell hound staring back acusingly while I felt the weight of the blade in my belt. I had truly become a nightmare._

_Ivan placed his hand on my shoulder and started guiding me. I was going to be the first time I would leave the mansion since I had arrived. I was dreading every second of it. It didn't feel right to leave now. I was no longer a member of that world. _

Raivis was waiting for us at the front door. "Have a pleasant night." He wished as we passed him walking to the car, Toris already waiting for us with the door open.

"He is not coming?" I asked as we entered the car and Toris started to drive. It had been my understanding that all members of the family where to go tonight.

"Raivis has already renewed his bonds. It is best for him to remain in the house away from those that would harm him at the gathering." Ivan replied. "Some members have their reasons to not come to the gatherings, so they arrange other ways to renew bonds or report to their superiors. You never came when called upon." He smirked at me knowingly.

I shrugged. "I had no desire to." I was being forced to go to this one.

"None the less, many will be surprised to finally meet you. It was rumored you had been banned to attend the gatherings for fear that you would devour someone." Ivan giggled.

I didn't speak for the rest of the ride, Ivan soon becoming occupied with calls on his cell phone. I kept gazing outside the window, watching the normal people living outside, longing for that life but fearing it somehow. I would never be able to return to it, never again accepted in it, I had been damned for too long now to go back.

The car finally pulled over in the entrance of an old building. Ivan finished up his call and turned to me. "Stay close to me at all times and try not to speak too much. The more they fear you the better."

I nodded. I had no intention of socializing, I was there to meet the boss and leave as fast as Ivan allowed me. We walked side by side as we entered the building into a magnificent ballroom. The place was already packet with well dressed men in suits and young teenagers in what they considered formal wear. It was terrifying to finally see the size of the family, there were so many of them. But as soon as we were in people had started to gather around us. Men after men came to greet Ivan, shaking his hand and exchanging quick conversations in Russian. But when they turned to greet me, one look to my chain and they would simply nod their heads before leaving quickly.

As Ivan made his way thru the crowd I kept closely behind him. Groups where already gathering and pointing me out with their eyes. Talking and staring. Some would say something to Ivan as they greeted him and he would reply something back as he giggled. It was making me sick. Sicker then the stares in the house where making me. In a room full of sinners and monsters, I was the one considered the worst of them. I was the freak show to be looked upon and gaped at.

It was pissing me off. I had not chosen this, I had been forced into this miserable farce. They where the monsters, they had been the ones to chose this life. Why was I to be feared and judged when they were the ones that had been willing to be here? I was the one turning sick just for coming here, yet they were judging me for the stupid rumors they had created themselves. I hated them, hated all of them.

I saw a group of teenagers openly staring at me, I glared back at them, wishing a horrible death to all of them, as soon as they saw my glare they stopped and scattered away. I then turned m glare to another group that was staring. I received the same results. As soon as I felt eyes upon me I turned to glare back at them, forcing them to scatter away and leave me alone. But with every person I scared off, three more began to stare. My patience was running thin.

"Ivan" I spoke up, making the four men speaking to him jump back and stare at me fearfully.

"_Da_?" He turned to face me.

"Bathroom?" I asked. He nodded and pointed to a spot at the other side of the ballroom. As I started walking away I heard him calling after me before being forced to continue his conversation with the other men. "Be quick." He had said.

As I walked by, the crowd of people would open up for me. I reached the bathrooms soon enough and entered one of the stall to get away from the stares. I couldn't stand being stared like that, being judged as a monster when I had tried so hard not to be one. I felt like I wanted to cry yet I knew no tears would come. My tears had all dried up by now.

There was a bang of a door being open. "Dude don't go in there! Are you Crazy! The Hell Hound is in there!" someone was shouting from outside. But I heard footsteps walking into the bathroom none the less.

"Sod off git!" Was the screamed answer. The voice sounded so familiar.

"Dude! I hear the guy will eat your face off for being rude to him. You're going to get killed the second you open your mouth." The voice that had first screamed said as it too walked in. This voice too was so familiar, like I had heard it in a dream.

"Shut up Al." I knew this voice.

I heard a lock sound. "It's just us now Hell's Butcher. Come out you bloody bastard!" It couldn't be.

I opened the stall and walked out. Two men stood inside the bathroom. Both wore basic black suits. "_Rosbife_." What were Arthur and Alfred fucking doing here?

"I bloody knew it." Arthur had dyed his hair red and was wearing blue contact lenses. Yet his eyebrows and facial expressions were unmistakable.

"Francis!" Alfred had gotten his skin tanned and had dyed his hair to a brunet. He looked even younger.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I immediately screamed. _Merde_! _Merde_! _Merde_! _Merde_!

"I ask you the same thing Frog! What the bloody hell are you doing in a place like this?" Arthur yelled back.

Alfred was the one to notice it first. I saw how his eyes suddenly widened and he took a step back, grabbing Arthur's suit to get him to back up with him. He raised one of his hands pointing it to my chest.

"Wh…Why are you wearing that?" He stuttered as he turned pale behind the fake tan. "Fran…Francis. Why do you have that necklace?"

Arthur looked to where Alfred had been pointing. It wasn't long until he also started paling. "Bloody hell."

I looked down to the necklace around my neck, the warning sign for people to back the fuck away because I was the worst kind of monster there ever was. A sign that made even those close to me, those that had know the real me, forsake everything they knew and look at me with fear. I really had been damned to all hell.

"Crow." I said. My voice was as dead and cold as it could get. "Cannibal." I kept on, lifting my head to watch Arthur and Alfred taking steps away from me. "Cook. Hell's Butcher. Hell Hound. Death Keeper. Monster. Black Angel. Daemon. Devil." I said taking a step towards them. "Braginski's pet." I Had grabbed the blade hidden behind me. Lifting it in a showing maner and watching as Arthur and Alfred gave in to their fears. "Those are what they call me _mes ami_."

"What in the queen's name bloody happened to you?" Arthur asked, backed up into the wall with Alfred at his back.

A flashing thought crossed my mind. "He broke my heart." I said, dead as I already was. Was that really it? Could this be the reason I had become like this?

I placed the knife away. I had been away from Ivan for too long now. It was best to go back to his side. "You two better get the hell out before someone else realizes you are not supposed to be here." I said.

As I walked to the door to unlock it and leave it, I remembered something else. "Alfred!" I turned to see if he was listening. He was staring at me. "Remember the promise you made me? The one where you would be the hero and save everyone else?"

It took a moment for him, but he soon nodded in silent agreement. "I'm still holding you up on that. Keep my children safe, away from me." I opened up the door and took a step out, turning back only to whisper "And tell Matthew I loved him."


End file.
